When Ends Meet
by DrHoneyChuckles
Summary: Post-Series  When Charlie is taken out of the equation it's up to Don and his team to solve an intense case the old fashioned way: without math.
1. Chapter 1

So this is my first Numb3rs fanfiction. It's just an idea that kind of formed in my head after I finished the series. I'm really excited about it though. I hope you all enjoy and reviews are greatly appreciated. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs! I do own my OC though.

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><p>Don had just pulled an all nighter at the office. He was eager to get back home and catch some sleep. He had dozed off at the office and Liz had came by and woke him up. LAPD had caught the guy they were after. Don gratefully headed home. He walked into his apartment and found Robin up making breakfast. "What are you doing up this early?" Don said with a smile then kissed Robin.<p>

"Today's that big court case. But you probably forgot." Robin said with a smile. "How was work?"

"Exhausting." Don replied as he snagged a piece of French toast from a plate. "We had a bomb threat we had to go to first thing. Then after we got that settled he got called to a minor bank robbery. After the robbery we ended up getting involved with some credit scam thing that ended up being a hoax. The whole time this was going on Colby was undercover with some minor drug dealers. We busted them and then had to go back to the bomb threat we started with in the first place."

"Sounds fun." Robin teased lightly.

"Loads." Don said as he finished off his toast. "Good luck with your case." He kissed her again. "I'm going to bed."

"Oh, Charlie called. You might want to call him back." Robin said.

"Alright." Don said as he started to walk over to the steps up to the bed.

Robin glanced at a clock. "I've got to get going." She turned for the door.

"Love you." Don called as he started up the steps.

"You too." Robin called back. The door shut and the apartment was full of a blissful silence. Don sunk onto the bed without even bothering to strip off his clothes. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

It seemed like seconds later that he heard the annoying sound of his cellphone. He was only half awake when he answered his phone. "Eppes."

"Aw, Don, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." The voice apologized.

Don recognized the voice instantly. "Charlie! How are you doin'?" Don asked excitedly not even taking in his brother's apology. He sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes blearily.

"I'm doing fine, Don. So is Amita. Actually we're at an airport in Washington D.C. I was wondering if either you or dad could pick us up when we get to LA?" Charlie asked tentatively.

"Of course, Charlie." Don answered. "When do you think you'll be back?"

"Seven or eight hours, approximately." Charlie responded.

"I'll be there."

"Thanks. Oh and I have some interesting news. I want to wait and tell you in person." There was excitement in his voice.

"No problem, Chuck."

Don could almost hear Charlie roll his eyes, but his tone said that he was smiling. "Bye, Donald." He responded then hung up.

Don called Alan and let him know what was going on. He set an alarm, stripped off his clothes, and then sunk back into the wonderful world of dreamland.

Colby was _still_ doing paperwork. He was so tired he was barely keeping his eyes open. He muttered some expletives under his breath as he realized he'd just type the same sentence about three times. Nikki came over and set a cup of coffee on his desk. "Looks like you need it, Idaho."

"Thanks." Colby said distractedly as he took the cup.

"You been here all night?" Nikki asked.

"Ya." Colby replied. He gratefully took a couple big swigs of the black deliciousness. "Don just headed out an hour or so ago."

"You should too." Nikki said. She started to walk away then turned. "Oh, David's replacement is finally coming today."

"Really?" Colby asked curiously.

"Ya. All I heard was that they were a profiler." Nikki walked off after that.

Colby started to feel the buzz of the caffeine hit his bloodstream. He turned back to typing when he heard someone walk past.

"I thought you were leaving, Nikki." Colby said and then turned around. He had to suppress the _Oh crap _feeling that came over him. Standing right behind him was a totally smoking hot girl that was definitely _not _Nikki. She had long dirty blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and green eyes. She was a little on the short side at about 5 foot 6. Her skin tone was fairly pale. Colby stood quickly at attention. "Um, hi." She greeted. "I'm Agent McFlinn. I was looking for Special Agent Eppes?" She held out a hand to shake.

Colby took it and nearly melted inside. He hoped he wasn't blushing. "I'm Special Agent Granger. Don isn't here right now, but I'd be able to help you."

"Well I just got reassigned here. I'm supposed to be Agent Sinclair's replacement." She said.

'_Please let her be single.' _Colby pleaded.

3.…

Don, Alan, and Larry were standing at the airport watching carefully for any signs of Charlie and Amita at the baggage pick up. "Are you sure you got the time right? You were still half asleep when you called me." Alan bugged Don.

"Yes, I'm sure." Don replied sharply. "They must just be behind schedule." They'd been standing there for roughly an hour now.

Larry probably would have said something smart about the cosmos but sensed the tension between the father and son. Instead he whistled innocently.

That's when Don saw the mess of curly hair that could only belong to Charlie. "Is that him?" Don asked to make sure he wasn't imagining it.

"It appears to be." Larry said.

"Ya it has to be, Amita's right behind him." A stunned looked crossed Alan's face.

"What?" Larry asked.

Don saw it too.

Amita had a small baby bump.

A broad smile crossed Don's face as he started pushing his way through the crowd to his younger brother. Alan and Larry were right behind him. "Charlie!" he yelled.

Charlie turned at the sound of his name. "Don!" He yelled back as he saw his brother.

Amita already had her luggage with her and spotted the three men coming their way. A broad smile crossed over her face. "Did you tell them yet?" She asked Charlie quietly.

"No, but I think they can see for themselves." Charlie teased.

"Hey, guys, welcome back to LA!" Don said with a bright smile. He hugged Charlie tightly and then let go. Don put a hand on Amita's belly. "Congratulations you guys."

Alan and Larry came into the open space. "Congrats!" Larry echoed.

Alan was still a little stunned. He was going to have grandkids.

That's when the gunshot echoed through the air.

Don was looking his brother directly in the eyes as the bullet tore through Charlie's chest. On instinct he pulled his own gun out to fire at the nearby gunman. The people had already started running away and screaming. The gunman tried to run too.

"CHARLIE!" Amita yelled as she knelt down beside him.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews guys! It really helped a lot to know people were reading! :D Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

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><p>Don fired two times. He hit the gunman two times. He pulled out his phone and gave it to his stunned dad. "Call the FBI and tell them to send everything they've got over here now!" He holstered his gun, and then spun around and down to Charlie's side. Amita was crying heavily. She had enough sense to back off and let Don do his work though. Larry was shocked, but tried to comfort Amita.<p>

Don ripped open Charlie's button down shirt. He cussed as he saw the entrance wound. He ripped off a part of Charlie's shirt and wadded it up. He pressed hard on the wound. Charlie winced and whimpered slightly. "How bad is it?" He slurred.

"They're already on their way." Don heard Alan say.

"It's not that bad, buddy." Don lied smoothly as he kept his voice calm. "Just hang in there, okay?"

Don didn't hear any sirens, but he looked back and saw two paramedics running toward them. _'That was fast… Almost too fast.' _Don thought. He kept heavy pressure on Charlie's chest wound despite his suspicions. "Guys, get back." Don said quietly. Alan didn't know what was going on, but did as he was told. He trusted Don in a situation like this even though his fatherly instincts told him to run to his younger son's side. The two paramedics got close and Don turned his attention to Charlie for just one second. But that was all the fake paramedics needed.

"DON!" Alan yelled in warning.

Don launched himself sideways and started wrestling with the 'paramedic'. The other one joined in the fight. Don got his gun loose from its clip and didn't hesitate to shoot one of the men that were on him. The other paramedic clocked Don in the nose and Don saw stars. He had to fight hard to keep conscious from the blow.

"Amita." Charlie moaned from his spot on the floor. Amita knelt down beside him and held his hand.

"I'm right here, Charlie." She sniffled. "Everything's going to be fine, alright?" she wasn't sure if she trying to assure Charlie of this or herself.

The 'paramedic' knocked Don's gun out of his hand. Don kicked his feet out and planted his feet firmly in the remaining man's gut. He rolled over and scrambled to reach his gun as the paramedic was doubled over. He heard sirens. It wouldn't be long until his team was here and some _real_ paramedics. That's when he felt a stabbing pain in his neck. He cried out as the paramedic pushed down the plunger of a needle.

"Don?" Charlie asked confusedly as he heard the cry of pain. Don wasn't supposed to sound like that. Alan was too stunned to make a move. So was Larry.

Don was seeing double as he felt his fingers touch his gun. He tried to grab at it, but kept missing. The stabbing pain pulled out of his neck. All the noises he heard seemed to slow down and warp. He started hearing his heartbeat very loud in his ears. There was something that sounded like a gunshot. He felt the man attacking him fall over limp. He felt hands grab his shoulders and roll him over just moments later. His dad was there. It looked like he was yelling. He looked over his shoulder and yelled at someone. He thought he heard him say something about Charlie. All the jumbled noises weren't making the least bit of sense to him. Then all of a sudden it felt like fire was burning through his veins. Every part of him felt like it was burning. He cried out in agony despite trying to hold it back. He squeezed his eyes shut and clawed at his skin. He felt more sets of hands pin him. He struggled against them. His back arched as the burning sensation intensified. His hearing started to clear up some and he recognized his dad's voice along with Colby's and Nikki's. Before he passed out from the pain he heard someone say that Charlie was already in the ambulance.

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Colby was sitting beside Amita in the hospital in the lobby of the ICU. "Who all knew what time you would be landing?" he asked.

Amita looked shocked. "You think someone purposely targeted Charlie?"

"We're not sure yet, but that's the way it's looking. Nikki is running pictures for IDs on the dead guys." Colby explained.

Amita took a shaky breath. "Everyone that took either Charlie or I's classes at Cambridge would know we were leaving. Maybe not the specific time or airport, but they would know. Um… Charlie called Don. So Don, Alan, and Larry knew. But that's everyone I can think of that would have known." Amita glanced over her shoulder. She was waiting for the doctor to come out and tell her that they were done with surgery. They had been told that the bullet hadn't hit anything vital, but Charlie had lost a staggering amount of blood and the bullet had lodged itself under one of his ribs. They said he was going to pull through.

Colby put a hand on Amita's shoulder. "Everything'll be fine, Amita."

Amita nodded her head.

Meanwhile Don had woken up and was fighting with the doctor. "Look, I don't care what you have to do, but I'm getting out of here now." he said stubbornly.

"Mr. Eppes, please calm down. You still have a massive amount of drugs in your system. You need to be under observation for at least a couple more hours." One of the doctors said.

"Then one of your nurses can follow me around!" Don yelled back. Alan heard the voices from down the hall. He groaned. Him and Larry and been gone for five minutes and Don was already in another fight.

"Don sounds like he's recovered." Larry said.

"I'll say." Alan said sarcastically. He walked in the door to Don's room and found him sitting on the edge of the bed arguing with a doctor that was taking careful notes on his heart monitor ratings while a nurse was changing his IV bag.

"I don't care!" Don was yelling.

"Donny!" Alan interrupted. He lowered his voice down to normal level as he continued. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I need to get back to work and find out who did this to Charlie. That's what the problem is." Don said angrily.

Alan knew his son would be acting like this. "Donny, you're shaking." He said as he walked up closer.

Don held out his hand where he could see it. He _was _shaking, pretty badly too. "I'm just cold." Don lied.

Alan sighed. "Don, you're in no shape to be going back to work just yet. I know you're concerned about Charlie, but you can't push yourself too hard."

"I need too, dad." Don said. His eyes glistened. "You have no idea what this feels like." His voice was quivering with emotion that wanted to burst out.

Alan thought about it for a second. "Remember that time when you were six and you decided you were going to climb on top of the jungle gym?"

"Ya, I fell off the top and broke my arm." Don replied.

"Right after you got the cast off you didn't listen to your mother or me and climbed it again because you felt you had to prove yourself. What happened then?" Alan asked.

"I broke it again..."

"Just relax some, alright? Let the doctor's do their job and you'll be out of here quicker." Alan assured.

"Fine." Don grumbled and settled back down. He wouldn't admit it, but his skin still felt uncomfortably burning. More like a really bad sunburn now than the fire that had burned through his veins before.

That's when Colby stuck his head in the door. "Hey, boss." He greeted.

"Hey." Don replied dryly as a nearby nurse asked him to turn his head. He flinched as she prodded the spot where the needle had gone in.

"David's replacement came today." He said.

"Oh, good. Did you show her around?" Don asked.

"Ya, she's back at the office with Nikki right now." Colby explained. He made his way into the room as Alan and Larry walked out to go find Amita and see if there was anything new on Charlie. "How much experience has she had? Does she need the whole rookie training thing?"

"Granger, she's served three tours overseas. She doesn't need coddled." Don replied then winced again as the nurse applied something to the back of his neck.

Colby was shocked. "That tiny little thing served _three _times?" he asked incredulously.

"She's tiny?" Don questioned.

"Ya, barely five foot six." Colby responded. "And that's probably including the two inches of shoe."

"Don't underestimate her." Don warned.

Colby nodded and headed out of the room. As he walked down the hall he thought back to the airport. He'd read Don's tox report. That needle they'd injected into Don was some of the stuff that he'd had when he was being held on that freighter. It may have seemed like forever ago to everyone else, but he remembered it clearly. The drug in Don's system was a version of the one that made you feel like you were drowning. But Don had a different variant and obviously a much larger dose. He would never admit it, but when he saw Don yelling in agony and trying to claw at himself it had scared him. Like bad scared him. Don never showed pain. The only time Colby could remember that he had was when he had been stabbed. He really hoped Don would stay in the hospital for a little while longer.

Colby gave an encouraging smile to Amita as he passed. Larry and Alan were sitting on each side of her. Amita flashed a short smile back, but it was one of those smiles that was hollow and didn't really mean anything.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey thanks for all of the reviews! I'm posting this chapter early because… well… I don't know, but you shouldn't be complaining! XD Anyways, enjoy the next chapter! _

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Numb3rs. :'(_

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><p>Nikki and McFlinn were pinning pictures to a board. "Look, Suzanne-"<p>

"I told you to call me Suzie." McFlinn interrupted. She smoothed out the picture she was putting up that had the name James Bradley on it. It was a match to one of the fake paramedics.

"There are a lot of nasty things that come with this job." Nikki said.

"You can tell me all you want about dead people. It's not going to faze me one bit." Suzie said matter of factly. She picked up the manila folder that held Mr. Bradley's information in it and began to glance over it.

"Excuse me?" Nikki said with attitude. "You've only been in the FBI for a month. I doubt you've seen as much as I have."

"You looked at my file?" Suzie asked as she kept her gaze on the folder in front of her.

"Ya." Nikki responded cockily as she put a hand on her hip. It had clearly listed that her employment with the FBI was only for roughly 5 weeks. She had been stationed in D.C. before being transferred to the Violent Crime Squad in L.A.

"Then you obviously skipped over an important part of it." _If it's even in there. _She added silently in her head. Suzie peered up over the folder with a cold stare. Nikki held it with an evenly cold stare. Suzie turned her attention back to the folder after a short silence. Then she said, "I served two tours in Iraq. When I got back from the second tour I went to college for psychology. I joined the FBI and was in it for two weeks before I got sent to Afghanistan for my third tour. On the second week of that tour I was taken hostage and tortured for three weeks. I got honorably discharged when they recovered me." She looked up from the folder. "I just got back four weeks ago. So don't think you can tell me anything about gruesome scenes or dead bodies that I don't already know."

Nikki crossed her arms over her chest and suddenly felt a pang of guilt that she would never admit to. "My apologies…" she paused and decided to try and lighten the mood. "I usually call people by the state they come from. So where are you from?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Suzie decided.

Nikki sighed. "Well what does your psychology degree say about that guy?"

"That's he's definitely not a leader. All of his charges are for being an accessory. If it's not an accessory it's a minor charge. Same with the other paramedic." She glanced up at the picture beside Mr. Bradley's. It read Glenn Marshall. "If they even knew the mastermind behind the plot they probably wouldn't have been able to tell us much about him. They're definitely on the low end of the food chain." Suzie pointed to the one that had the name Julian Pablo on it. "The one that shot the professor was probably a mid-level man. Just the fact that he was trusted not to miss the shot is a big factor."

"So you definitely think this was intentional?" Nikki asked.

"Of course. Why else would you walk the whole way to baggage pick up?"

"Good point."

Suzie put the folder down. "If the shooter was truly just a psycho he definitely would not have waited that long. He would have just walked in and started shooting. The fact that he only shot one person helps that theory."

Nikki picked up her phone. "I'll call Colby and let him know."

"You don't have to call Colby." Granger said as he walked into the room. "What can you tell me?"

"That it was intentional." Nikki said. "And that none of these people have ever been in a case Charlie has consulted on."

"A math professor consults for the FBI?" Suzie questioned. "How does math relate to crime?"

"You'd be surprised." Colby replied sarcastically.

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A couple hours later Colby was dozing lightly at his desk when his cell phone started ringing. "Granger." He answered.

"Hey, Colb, it's Don." The voice on the other ends said.

"What's up?" Colby asked as he rubbed at his eyes.

"Charlie just got out of surgery. He's breathing through a tube right now, but other than that he's fine." Don explained.

"That's great." Colby said with a smile.

"They're sending the bullet over for analysis. I want you to run it through the database and see if it matches anything we have."

"Got it, Don."

"Oh and, Colby, have McFlinn look through the airport security tapes for anyone who looks suspicious."

"Alright." Colby replied. Don clicked his phone shut on the other end.

Colby stood up and stretched before going to find Suzie. Then he realized that they had never gotten the security tapes yet. He walked into the war room where Nikki and Suzie were pouring over a lot of papers. They didn't look like they were finding anything.

"Suzie, you're with me. We're going to go get airport security tapes." Colby said as he peaked in the door. "And, Nikki, there's a bullet on its way over from the hospital that needs analyzed."

"Well who died and made you in charge?" Nikki asked.

Colby waggled his phone for her to see. "Special Agent in Charge Don Eppes _called _me." That got him thinking for a minute. "Wait has anyone seen Liz?"

"She's on something with the DOJ. She called and said she'd be here as soon as possible." Nikki explained.

Suzie got up and followed Colby out of the war room. "We need vests?" she asked.

"Ya, better safe than sorry." Colby said.

About 15 minutes later they were in the standard black SUV on the way to the airport. Colby was driving of course.

The doctors had finally released Don. They had signed the forms and grudgingly had sent him off with a prescription for a high power pain medication. He rubbed his bandaged wrist subconsciously as he walked down the hall to the elevator. He went up two floors to get to ICU. The elevator doors opened and he waved his badge to the nurses at the front desk.

The halls were eerily quiet and Don felt uncomfortable. He was reminded of his mother's last days in a room much like the ones he was passing. Don visibly shivered. He heard some quiet whisperings and turned the corner to see Alan, Larry, and Amita.

"How's he doin'?" Don asked.

"He's stable." Amita said as she looked over. She was standing at the large window looking in on her husband. Don walked over and gave Amita a comforting hug. Amita hugged back tightly.

"I'm sorry." Don whispered to her.

"It's not your fault." Amita said shakily. "You tried to protect him."

Don and Amita stood there holding each other for what seemed like a long time. Each of them comforting the other without meaningless words. Don pulled away, but kept a comforting hand on Amita's shoulder. He looked over at Alan and Larry who were sitting beside each other. "How are you two holding up?"

"Fine." Larry answered after some thought. His eyes were on the fragile looking boy across the hall.

Alan sighed. "I'm alright considering the current situation. Could be better." He could see Don was avoiding looking in to see his little brother. Don may not open up to him, but he knew who we _would _open up to. "I haven't seen Robin yet. Did you call her?"

Don shook his head. "She's on a big case right now. I didn't want to get her upset."

Alan gave his son a glare that meant he still should have called her.

It was silent for a moment until Don asked, "Are we allowed in the room?"

Amita nodded.

Don glanced at everyone then took a deep breath. He turned and opened the door. A constant beeping filled his ears. He closed the door and then turned to face his brother. He clasped a hand over his mouth to try and keep in the sudden sob that escaped his lips.

Charlie looked so weak and small in the hospital bed. An overwhelming urge to hide him from the horrors of life washed over Don. He wanted to take him far away to somewhere safe. Somewhere where he wouldn't get hurt like this ever again.

Charlie had a tube down his throat to keep him breathing normally. He also had a heart monitor attached to him. In his left wrist were two IVs. One was pumping blood into his veins. The other was pumping in much needed fluids. Don could see the tight white gauze that was wrapped around the left side of Charlie's chest peaking out underneath the hospital gown he was wearing.

Don sat on a chair in the room and pulled it up closer to Charlie's side. He gently grabbed hold of Charlie's right hand and held it in both of his. He couldn't believe this had happened to his brother. He was the oldest, he was supposed to protect Charlie from things like this. "I'm so sorry, Charlie." He whispered aloud.

" 's not your fault."

Don thought he imagined it at first. "Chuck?"

"Don't call me Chuck." He slurred.

Don smiled one of those crinkly eyed smiles. "How you feeling, buddy?" he asked. Charlie's eyes weren't even open as he talked so Don was pretty sure he probably wouldn't be around for long.

"Tired…" Charlie murmured.

Don could see the physical effort it was taking for Charlie to talk to him. "Just get some rest, buddy, okay?"

"Stay…?" Was the last word on Charlie's lips before he slipped back into unconsciousness.

It took a moment for Don to respond. "Ya, buddy … I'll stay." He kept a tight hold on Charlie's hand.

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><p><em>And I leave you with some HurtComfort Don and Charlie fluffiness! :) Remember: Review's make me happy! And happiness will bring chapters sooner._


	4. Chapter 4

_Here ya go! The next chapter! Hope you enjoy! :D Oh, and thanks for the reviews as always!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs. :( _

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><p>"Look, all we need is the video tape coverage for the shooting." Colby said. The frustration in his voice was clear.<p>

"And I'm telling you that you need a warrant." The security officer replied.

Suzie and Colby were standing in front of a desk with a sign on it that said Chief Security Officer. The small office was bland. Three of the walls were white and the fourth was a gray partition. Other than that was a calendar, clock, and the cluttered desk in the middle with a few chairs around it.

Suzie glanced at the security officer's name tag before she leaned over and placed both hands on the man's desk all the while giving the man an intimidating glare. "Mr. Fox, an FBI agent's brother is in the hospital on his death bed while his _pregnant _wife has nothing to do but worry. If he dies before we get those videos I'm sure we can find some things to charge you with. Obstruction of justice, accessory after the fact, accessory to manslaughter…" she trailed off letting the man's imagination take care of the rest.

Mr. Fox gulped as sweat started beading his forehead. Colby was impressed.

"Y-you'll have to t-talk to my lawyer." Mr. Fox stuttered. He grabbed a sticky note and pencil. When he was done Suzie all but ripped it off his desk. She read it and then handed it to Colby.

"We'll be back." Suzie answered gruffly pretending that she hadn't read the note. On the sticky note was scrawled _'Man w/gun behind partition'_.

Colby unholstered his weapon and took a few silent steps forward. Suzie silently walked up beside him. She held her gun in her left and grabbed the handle for the sliding partition with her right. Colby brought his weapon up and nodded. Suzie flung the partition open without a second thought.

Colby came face to face with another gun barrel. "Put the gun down!" Colby yelled. Suzie had her gun leveled on the other man now too.

"Put it down!" Suzie yelled.

The gunman eyed the two agents warily. His intel had been wrong. He'd been expecting two males.

Suzie saw the man's eyes shift towards her and tightened her grip on her gun.

"Don't even think about it." Colby barked.

He thought about it. And then he did it. He launched himself forward and into the female agent hoping to take her down and use her as a hostage.

Colby didn't shoot. He couldn't risk hitting Suzie. A mere 3 seconds passed. Suzie was on top of the man with her knee planted firmly in the middle of his back and had one of his arms twisted back behind him. His gun was a good eight feet away. She holstered her gun and then reached back and pulled out her cuffs. She slapped on his wrist and started reading him the riot act.

Colby holstered his weapon again and whistled, impressed.

Suzie had to repress the wicked grin that came across her face as she jerked the man into a standing position. "Well, Granger, you gonna call for back up or not? We can't transport both of these guys in the same car." She teased.

"We could…" Colby said sarcastically.

A look of horror crossed Mr. Fox's face. "Am I still getting arrested? I was under duress!"

"You hand over those tapes and all we need is a statement from you." Colby said with no real intent of arresting the innocent man.

Suzie had a tight grip on the back of the gunman's shirt as Colby called in for backup.

The gunman wasn't finished though. He wouldn't go down this easily. He quickly threw all his weight to the side. He cracked Suzie in the head with his head.

Suzie let out a yelp as her vision blurred and she stumbled forward. Colby literally dropped his phone to go for his gun, but the gunman was using Suzie as cover. The gunman had slipped through the chain and now had his hands in front of him.

Suzie was suddenly aware of cold metal against her throat that was cutting of her air supply. The gunman had pulled the chain of his handcuffs tight over her throat.

"Put the agent down!" Colby yelled and thought the words were as awkward as it sounded.

"Take the shot." Suzie gasped. She looked calm, but inside she was sure her heart was going to leap out of her chest at any moment.

"You're not going to take me in!" The man said and tightened the chain over Suzie's throat. "Not unless it's on a stretcher!"

Suzie's face was starting to turn blue. "Take it." She rasped.

Colby pulled the trigger. (He thought that the Mr. Fox guy was going to pee his pants at the sound.) The gunman and Suzie toppled over backwards. He heard a cry of pain from the man as they hit the floor. Suzie pulled out from underneath the chain and started coughing as fresh oxygen entered her lungs.

"Let's go." Colby growled menacingly as he picked the gunman up off the ground. "You alright, Suze?"

"I'm fine." She rasped in between coughs. "Nice shot."

Colby had placed a well aimed bullet in the gunman's arm. "Let's just get this scum bag out of here."

A couple minutes later a few LAPD squad cars and an ambulance had arrived. Mr. Fox had readily handed over more than enough tapes and was then put in a car and sent over to the FBI building. Colby and Suzie were currently watching the EMTs fix up the mysterious gunman. Suzie was holding an ice pack on her head.

"You should get your throat checked out." Colby said nonchalantly.

"I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me." Suzie replied hoarsely.

Colby sighed. He really didn't want to have to say what he did, but he was going to be supervisor of the Violent Crime Squad as soon as Don was officially the SAC. "Do I have to pull rank on you?"

Suzie sighed. She knew she probably should. "No, _sir_." her tone was defeated.

As if on cue an EMT came over. "The shot was a through and through so he should be ready to be transported now."

"Good." Colby said. "Would you be able to look at her for a moment?"

The EMT's eyes widened as he saw the purple bruising around Suzie's neck. She smiled weakly in response.

Don had a screaming headache, but he wasn't about to take the pain meds. Pain meds always did funky stuff to him. He was still sitting in Charlie's room in the same chair. He was holding his head with his left hand. He figured he must have dozed off because he suddenly felt arms wrap around him from behind. He smiled and looked up to see Robin.

"Hey." She greeted quietly.

"Hey." Don replied.

"How's he doing?" Robin asked.

"Fine as far as I can tell." Don said as he glanced over his unconscious brother. He ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"How are you?" Robin asked instead. "Alan told me what happened."

Don winced at the memory and Robin noticed. "I just have a headache now." he said honestly.

Robin walked around and curled up on Don's lap. She pressed her head against Don's neck. Don rested his cheek on top of Robin's head. He was glad to have her here. "Don't you have court?" he asked curiously.

"We got out early when one of the jurors got stung by a bee and nearly went into anaphylactic shock." Robin explained.

"That sounds fun." Don said lightheartedly.

"I get the next two days off while they find a new juror. One that's not allergic to bees."

Don chuckled lightly.

Robin waited then. She gently ran her hand up and down Don's chest. Don needed time. Then he would open up.

It happened quicker than Robin had expected. "I'm scared for him, Robin." His voice was husky. Robin looked up and saw a single tear escape down his cheek. Don hastily reached up to wipe it off, hoping that Robin hadn't seen. Robin was genuinely worried. Don _never_ cried.

"Hey, look at me, Don." Robin said as she straightened up so they were at eye level with each other. Don looked over with pleading eyes. Robin put her hands on his face to keep him from looking away. She felt the stubble on his face and subconsciously wondered when the last time he shaved was. "Charlie's going to be fine, Don. The doctor's cleared him and he's going to be fine. You're going to be fine too. Everything's going to be alright in a week or so." She held Don's eyes. She knew her words were just words, but she hoped Don knew what she felt.

"I just keep thinking about their baby, Robin." Don said sincerely.

A corner of Robin's mouth turned up. "You are such an overprotective brother." She teased.

Don smiled and then kissed Robin. Don's cellphone rang moments later. "Eppes." He answered in seconds ignoring Robin's protests that said he wasn't allowed a cellphone in here.

"Don, we found someone related to Charlie's shooting. He was waiting to get a hold of the security tapes at the airport." Colby said.

"Good. You have him at the office?" Don asked.

"He's already in the interrogation room."

"Nice job, Colb." He replied then clicked his phone shut. "Gotta go, they've got a suspect in custody."


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry for the late update, guys! I haven't had full access to my laptop lately and it took me forever to be satisfied with this chapter. Part of it was written veeeery early in the morning so bare with me please. :D And as always, thank you for all of the reviews! It really means a lot. :3_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs or else there would probably be a lot more Don and Charlie whumping._

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><p>Colby, Nikki, and Suzie were waiting in the break room when Don arrived. They were all sipping coffee (that Colby had been nowhere near when it was made). Suzie had secretly downed a few Ibuprofen for her throat. She was gradually losing more and more of her voice. Nikki had given her a cocky, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" when she had first came back. Suzie had replied by sticking her tongue out and saying, "Obviously not."<p>

Don walked in the break room and spotted the new agent first. "Hey nice to meet you, McFlinn." Don had greeted trying not to notice the purple bruises around her neck.

"Suzie." She responded scratchily and shook Don's outstretched hand.

"Getting beat up on the first day, huh?" Don teased lightly.

"His fault." She said jokingly and pointed at Colby.

Colby rolled his eyes. "He's in interrogation room one." He handed Don a file. "His name is Titus Lee Peter. Records came back clean."

"Clean?" Don questioned.

"Yep. Had the new guy check it about three times after I checked it twice." Colby replied.

"So a guy with clean records just randomly shows up in the security office with a gun?" Don asked.

"This is where Charlie would say that nothing is truly random." Nikki interjected. "And then give some long math explanation."

"Imagine rain falling." Colby said smartly.

Don smiled and turned to head out the door. "He's doing great, by the way."

The three agents followed Don out the door. "That's good. We need our math genius back." Nikki said.

"Tell me about it." Don replied.

With a few moments preparation Don headed into the interrogation room. The man sitting in front of him seemed nervous. He looked like he was sweating and he was fidgeting with some lose strings on his sling that was supporting his left arm. Don sat in the seat across from him. The man still hadn't looked at him. "You gonna tell me what you were doing in the security office with a gun?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Because right now we can hold you here as long as we want for assaulting a federal officer."

Peter looked up from staring at the table and a wide grin spread across his face. "Agent Don Eppes, Supervisor of the Violent Crimes Squad in LA and soon to be promoted to Special Agent in Charge." He gave Don a cold stare. Don hid the shiver that ran up his spine. "Your brother Charlie is in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the left chest cavity."

Don crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, don't do that!" Suzie hissed from the other side of the glass.

"Do what?" Colby asked curiously.

"He's crossing his arms over his chest. It's a sign of defense. Peter is getting to him and he knows it." Suzie explained.

"Well thank you, Miss Psychic." Nikki said. "But how's Peter gonna know that?"

"I can't explain it, I just know." Suzie said.

"I'm terrified." Don said sarcastically. "I'm not here to play games. You tell me some things and I may be able to cut you a deal."

Peter was quiet for a moment. He looked down and studied his hand. "Agent McFlinn. I'll talk to her."

Don lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

Peter simply shrugged. Grudgingly, Don got up from the table.

"He wants someone he feels more powerful than." Suzie said and gingerly rubbed her throat.

"You up to it?" Don asked as he came in the small room.

"Ya." Suzie said

"Have you had interrogation experience before? This is a pretty fragile case."

"You could call it interrogation." Suzie said with a shrug.

Nikki took a breath in like she was going to say something. She changed her mind and shook her head. "You know what? I _don't _wanna know."

"Ya, she might have to kill you if you asked." Colby replied. A sly smile spread across Suzie's face.

Don had a look on his face that was somewhere in between shock and confusion.

"Why can't I do it?" Nikki asked instead. "No offense, Suzie, but you're not exactly talking the best."

"That might work better." Suzie said before Don could say anything. "Someone he doesn't know might threaten him."

Nikki had a smug smile on her face as she exited the room.

"Mr. Peter, isn't it?" Nikki asked as she entered the interrogation room.

Peter seemed shocked. "You're not McFlinn."

"No, I'm not." Nikki replied and pulled out the empty chair. "I'm Agent Betancourt." She stood with one hand on her hip and leaned with the other hand on the back of the chair.

Peter readjusted his sore shoulder as he tried to think of what to say next. He was admittedly unprepared for this. That was the second time today.

"So are you going to tell me anything or not?" Nikki asked.

Peter was glaring now. "What time is it?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Nikki snapped back.

He shrugged. "Depends."

Nikki glanced down at her watch. "11:06."

"Darian Waters."

Nikki got up with a suspicious look on her face and then exited the room.

Outside the interrogation room Don's cellphone rang. "Dad? What's wrong?" He answered instantly. "Woah woah, slow down." He waited. The phone almost fell out of his hand. "WHAT? Look, I'm on my way over right now, dad. Just calm down, alright?"

"What happened?" Colby asked.

"A bomb just went off at the hospital."

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Don was out of the elevator doors in a flash. His dad was right outside. "Dad, what happened?"

"Donny, the bomb was two floors below us, it wasn't anywhere near Charlie. I just thought the FBI should know, alright?" Alan said as he gripped his son's shoulders.

Don took a huge exhale, releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "You could've told me, dad!"

"Look, we just thought it was a minor earthquake until some nurses came over and took Charlie down to a different floor." Alan explained. He felt bad for almost causing his son a panic attack.

"Everyone's fine?" Don asked.

"Everyone's fine." Alan repeated.

Don pulled away from his father's grip and ran a hand through his hair. "Nikki's downstairs, I have to go handle the mess down there."

"Go, Donny." Alan urged.

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><p><em>Hope you like the story so far! Ideas are greatly appreciated for upcoming chapters. I know how I want to end it, but I'm not sure how to get there so please put in your two cents! In advance, thanks for the reviews!<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Tuh duh! A new chapter! As always, thanks for the reviews!_

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><p>Charlie was now on the second floor of the hospital. Larry had gone to get food for the starving bunch watching over the mathematician. Amita and Robin were sitting in the room. Alan came in. "Anything change?" he asked.<p>

"Nope." Amita said sounding exasperated. "They're still keeping him on the sedative because of the pain factor."

"Well Don and Nikki are handling the situation upstairs." Alan said. "I thought Don was going to have a panic attack. He thought Charlie was in the explosion!"

Amita was shocked. Why would someone try and blow up Charlie? Well, he _had_ been shot around 48 hours ago. "Do they think it was meant for Charlie or just a random attack?"

"Don's going to think it was meant for Charlie. It'll be the first thing he says." Robin said.

And Robin was right. Don _did _think it was related. There was no way that Charlie got shot and then the man they had in custody asked for the time _right_ after a bomb goes off in the same hospital that his brother was in.

He just didn't know how. He was hoping Suzie would come up with something on the tapes.

"How many were killed?" Don asked as Nikki approached. He was standing out of the way watching the hubbub. There was nothing he could do at the moment.

"None so far. Several in critical condition." Nikki replied. "The bomb was set off in room 209E. It was empty at the time. And you'll never guess who the last occupant was."

"Who?" Don asked.

"You."

"… What?"

"Yep. The last occupant was you. The nurses were about to load another patient into the room when it went off." Nikki handed Don a file that a member of the bomb squad had given her. "That's a report on the explosion and the bomb that caused it. Right now it's just an educated guess. Tech guys are working on the actual device right now."

"Good. Let's see if this MO matches up with anyone related to Peter or Waters." Don said.

"Got it." Nikki said.

Suzie was hunched at her desk watching the tapes. She kept rewinding and watching the shot over and over again. Colby pushed back from his desk and sighed. "How are you doin' over there, Suzie?"

"Fine." Suzie replied. "It's hard to tell who gave the order for the shot though."

Colby rolled his chair over to look at the tape. Suzie kept staring at the computer. He watched the shot again and winced as he always did when he saw the look of agony on Charlie's face. "You think he got an order?"

"Definitely." Suzie said. (She too was getting sick of having to watch the young professor.) She took the tape back about a minute. "You can see from his body language that he's waiting for something. But when you fast forward to the shot his body language says the opposite. I've narrowed it down to about three people." She pointed to two men and one woman on the screen. "They all make direct eye contact with the shooter beforehand. Most likely the woman is just his love toy." Suzie trailed off as she started thinking more deeply into the situation.

Colby's brows knitted together as he looked deep in thought. He shook his head once. "Coffee?"

"Please."

Suzie studied the video again as Colby left. She squinted and rewound the video about a full five minutes. A smirk came across her face. "Got him." She made a few clicks and ran his face through a facial recognition program.

Colby was back shortly and set a coffee cup down on the desk. Suzie took a swig and almost spit it on her monitor. She gulped. "What is this?" Suzie asked incredulously.

"Coffee." Colby said defensively.

Suzie glanced at the brown liquid in her cup. "Who made it?"

"Me…" Colby looked back as he felt a presence behind him.

"I guess no one warned you about Granger's coffee." Agent Liz Warner teased. She had observed the incident quietly from behind.

"Hi to you too." Colby complained and turned his attention glumly back to the computer monitor. "Liz this is Suzie McFlinn. Suzie this is Liz Warner." He motioned vaguely.

"Hi." Suzie greeted and held out her hand.

Liz shook it. "So you're our new Megan?"

"If Megan was a profiler, then yes." Suzie replied.

"Did you get anything I can tell Don about? I'm heading over to help at the hospital." The question was directed at both Suzie and Colby.

"This guy." Suzie said and pointed. As if on cue, the facial recognition popped up. "Darian Waters."

"The same guy the hitman accused?" Colby asked.

"Yep. It looks like that's just his stage name. Real name is Nate A. Swarrid." Suzie replied.

"I'll get that to Don and see if it rings any bells." Liz said and walked off towards the elevator.

Suzie took another tortured gulp of her coffee as she listened to Colby's instructions. "Cross reference both the names Darian Waters and the Nate one to see if it matches up with anything Charlie's ever worked on."

"Got it." Suzie replied.

Don ran a hand through his hair. The bomb had been meant for him and innocent people had been hurt because of it. He glanced down at his watch. He'd just gotten word that one of the victims in critical condition had died. _'What did this guy have against Charlie? Why would he go after me to get at Charlie with this bomb? Unless I'm the actual target? But Charlie got shot first… So wouldn't the mastermind go after the person he was targeting first? Unless the gunman missed? We had been awfully close…' _Don's head was spinning and he was eager to stop it, but his thoughts kept racing. Sleep deprivation, lack of caffeine, and being injected with drugs was not good for the head Don decided. He was still on the hospital floor with the bomb on it. He wasn't sure why. He just was.

"Hey, Don." Liz called from the opening elevator directly behind Don.

Don didn't turn. He was too caught up in his own thoughts.

"Don?" Liz asked and gently put a hand on his shoulders.

"Hmm?" He asked with a distant look in his eyes.

"You alright?" Liz asked with concern. She had just been here to give him some files and see what needed done. But now it was clear that something had come up and it was bothering Don.

"Just thinking." Don said.

"About Charlie?" Liz guessed.

There was a pause of silence. "Who would want to shoot Charlie?"

"Someone with a sick twisted mind, Don. And we're gonna catch him." Liz tried to reassure. She pressed the folder she was carrying into his hands. "They found the guy who gave the order for the hit on the security tapes." Don opened the folder and glanced in at the photo that was stapled there. His blood ran cold. He didn't have to look at the file to see what this perp's name was. "Colby and Suzie are cross referencing him with any of the cases Charlie has worked on…" She stopped as she saw Don go pale. "Don, do you know this guy?"

"Nate Swarrid." Don replied. "He was in a particularly nasty case when I was in… the fugitive…" his voice trailed off as the specifics of the case started flooding his mind. The folder fell from his grasp and he stumbled back against the nearest wall to support himself.

"Don?" Liz asked worriedly. She grasped his shoulder to give him some extra support.

Don's face was in his hands. This couldn't be happening. _'I killed his brother. Charlie getting shot is my fault.' _He tried to make the words go to his lips, but he seemed unable to. He seemed unable to do anything right now. His brain wasn't functioning like it should. But somehow his lips parted and a hoarse whisper came out. "I killed his brother." He repeated.

"That's definitely motive." Liz mused. "Come on, Don. Let's find you a place to sit down."

"No, I'm fine." Don said defiantly as he cleared his throat and threw his hands down to his sides. He unconsciously glanced at his watch again.

Liz sighed and glanced out to where the tech guys were doing a sweep of the hospital room where the bomb had gone off.

"Nate and his brother were kidnapping people and torturing them." Don said as he bent over to grab the dropped folder. "Cooper and I went in with guns blazing to try and nab them. They had a victim with them when we found them." Don would have preferred to have forgotten the site of the teenage girl that was tied to the chair. "Nate's brother, Jim, pulled a gun out and was going to shoot the victim. I fired one round into his chest." He looked over at Liz for the first time in his short monologue. "He died on route to the hospital."

"What about Nate?" Liz asked.

"He ran. Cooper had to run him down while I stayed and helped the victim. Cooper lost him."

Liz felt sympathy for Don. She squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "We'll get him this time, Don."

There was a familiar ping of an elevator and the doors flew open. A serious looking man stood there taking his shades off. He glanced Don over. "What happened to you, Eppes?"

Don was surprised to see Ian Edgerton exiting the elevator. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Liz too was shocked to see the man. She wondered if Nikki had called.

"I got a whiff of the name Darian Waters floating around and decided to put in my two cents." Ian replied.

"He's one of yours?" Liz asked.

"Oh ya. I've been tracking him for a very long time now. He's used about seven different names the whole time too."

"Good." Don said. "Thanks for coming, Ian."

Ian jumped right to the point. "How are you dealing with this, Eppes? I heard about Charlie."

"I'm fine." Don said gruffly. He couldn't understand why they were all so worried about _him. _He wasn't the one with a gaping wound in his chest. He turned and started walking away. "I'm gonna go check on the tech guys."

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><p><em>The whole team has assembled! Yay. :) This kind of felt like a much needed filler, but I promise that the action will return soon! (Because when Ian Edgerton shows up everything possible can happen, amiright?) <em>


	7. Chapter 7

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Don sighed. The techs weren't getting anything now that could be processed at the scene. They had to take it all back to the lab. He ran hand down his face as he walked down the hospital hall. He had called Robin a few minutes earlier and she said that she'd convinced the others to go home and get some rest. Don was tempted to go too, but knew that work still needed him and Charlie would need him when he woke up.

"Ugh! Why did I think of that before?" Suzie yelled out suddenly. In the war room with her was Colby, Ian, and Nikki. Nikki had to a repress an, _'I don't know, why don't you tell me?' _in response to Suzie's outburst. "We've been looking at this whole case the wrong way!" Suzie continued.

"What do you mean?" Colby asked.

"We've been looking at this as an attack on Charlie." Suzie explained.

"Ya because Charlie was the one who got shot." Nikki replied dryly.

"And we know the motive too." Ian said. "They were purposely shooting at Charlie to get at Don psychologically."

"That's not my point!" Suzie said with exasperation. "There was _someone _who was being purposely aimed at, but it wasn't Charlie. It was someone who was near Charlie at the airport when he was shot, someone who if he recovered quickly would have been collecting security videos where an ambush was waiting for him, and someone who had a bomb exploded in their hospital room if they hadn't recovered so quickly."

"Don." Colby said suddenly as the lightbulb flashed above all their heads. The pieces had all just fallen into place.

"And that someone is alone at the hospital right now." Ian replied.

Liz suddenly burst into the room. She quickly started rattling off the facts about Don's encounter with Swarrid that Don had neglected to mention and the fact that he had killed his brother _and _had seriously injured one of Swarrid's best pals.

"We have to get over to the hospital now then." Suzie said quickly. "This guy is not gonna stop until Don's dead."

Don heard a commotion down the hall and instantly got twitchy. At first he blamed it on exhausted nerves. But it sounded like it was coming from Charlie's room. As Don got closer he heard Robin cussing someone out rather loudly. He pulled his gun out and shoved the door open without hesitation. He braced himself for what he would find.

"Don!" Robin yelled in distress as the door burst open.

Don had his gun up facing Robin. Robin had a knife pressed to her throat. Don clearly recognized the man holding the knife as Nate Swarrid. "Well hello, Don. Nice to finally see you face to face again."

"Let her go." Don growled.

"Put down the gun first."

Don did as he was told without hesitation. If he hurt Robin he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Fury was burning through his veins as he kept a careful eye on the knife at Robin's throat.

"Kick it away." Swarrid demanded.

Don did. He watched it slide under the bed his brother was in. Charlie was still on sedatives. There was no chance of him waking up.

"Good." Swarrid chided and started towards the door with Robin.

"Look, you want me, okay? Switch us." Swarrid kept backing up towards the door. Don was sure his heart was going to leap out of his chest. "STOP, okay? You can do anything you want with me as long as you let her go!"

Swarrid stopped and smiled slowly. "If you say so." He pushed Robin forward into Don. "Handcuff her to the bed."

Robin was shaking and tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Don't do it, Don." She whispered.

"I'm sorry." He whispered back and kissed her on the forehead. He reached back and pulled out his cuffs. He took one of her petite hands and cuffed it loosely.

"Don." Robin pleaded. She looked him in the eyes. "You can't do this. He'll kill you."

"I know." Don said and sat Robin down at the foot of Charlie's bed. He cuffed the leg of the bed. "Call someone." He whispered quietly.

"Actually she can't." Swarrid said. "I have her phone."

Don resisted the urge to cuss. Instead he kissed Robin on the lips. "I love you." He whispered. He knew they were both thinking about the same thing. The wedding. It was only three weeks from now.

"Love you too." Robin said. She envied Don's ability to stay calm and cool in these situations as her voice rose a couple octaves.

Pain suddenly burst from the back of Don's head. Black spots played in his vision as he heard Robin yell something. He reached back and felt something wet. Then he felt himself being pulled into a standing position. His legs felt like jelly as he tried to support himself. "Let's get going, Don." Swarrid said.

Robin saw when Swarrid hit Don with the butt of the knife. She started yelling at him about being a coward and hitting a man when he wasn't looking. She could see Don's eyes fluttering as he tried to stay conscious.

Just as Swarrid and Don made it out of the room Don's phone rang. " 'f I don' answer that you're gonna 'ave… FBI… and SWAT… on you." Don slurred.

Swarrid seemed to understand the half muttered words. He pulled Don's cell out and put it on speakerphone.

"Eppes." Don answered automatically.

"Don, it's Colby. We found something new we think you should take a look at."

"Can't… right now." Don was fighting hard against unconsciousness now. His head jerked as he listened for Colby's response.

"Alright." Colby said.

"Hey… tell Megan… not t' leave for Mexico… before I say goodbye."

Colby didn't miss a beat. "Sure thing, Don."

Swarrid clicked the phone shut and after popping the batter out threw it on the floor. He knew he had used a code word in there somewhere. "Get going, Eppes." Swarrid said and started dragging Don forward.

"Can't." Don managed before his legs gave way and his vision went totally black.

Only moments later the elevator Swarrid was heading for opened and FBI and LAPD poured out. The elevator beside it also opened and SWAT came out. All of them were yelling their own variations of, "Put your hands in the air!" and "Put the knife down!" Swarrid hefted up the unconscious Don and held him up as a shield. He also pressed harder with the knife.

"Back off or I slit his throat!" Swarrid yelled. This quieted the yelling officers. Swarrid had one hand holding Don's unconscious head back and the other pressing the knife to Don's throat.

"Calm down, Mr. Swarrid, we just wanna talk." Colby called out.

"Hah. Nice one, Colby. Now get out of my way." Swarrid threatened.

A shiver went down Colby's spine as Swarrid spit out his name. "We're not going to let you walk out of here with an injured agent."

Swarrid started to back up while dragging Don with him. "Yes you are. Your boss is too precious to you to risk injuring more."

Colby was tense. He glanced at Agent Liz Warner to his left and Lt. Gary Walker to his right to try and get some help from them.

"What do you want him for?" Liz questioned. "If he's unconscious he's no good for information."

A smirk spread across his face. "I don't need him conscious."

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><p><em>*cue dramatic music and commercial break*<em>


	8. Chapter 8

Liz cursed. "Look, Mr. Swarrid, I'm sure we can work something out."

'_Ya, that's right. Keep backing up.' _Colby thought to himself. Three more steps backwards and he would be in a very skilled sniper's range. Nothing on his face showed the fact that Swarrid was stepping towards his death. He counted Swarrid's steps as he dragged Don.

'_One…'_

"I'm sorry, agents, but your boss is coming with me whether you like it or not." Swarrid said cockily.

'_Two…'_

"Like hell he is." Lt. Walker said loud enough for Swarrid to hear. Swarrid smiled.

'_Three.'_

Colby prepared himself for the shot. But all he heard was Ian cursing loudly into his ear. "I don't have a shot. If I get Swarrid, I get Eppes. They're too close together." Colby cursed aloud.

Swarrid, on the other hand, was looking happier than ever. "By the way, Don's fiancé is in a bit of a bind. You might wanna take some keys with you."

The words 'Don's fiancé' struck a nerve with the unconscious man. He tried to pull to the surface and successfully pried his eyes open. He found a bunch of armed men pointing their guns in his direction. He also felt the hard cold metal of the knife and stiffened.

"Don't move, Eppes." Swarrid hissed through his teeth. He shifted the knife and it cut his skin. Crimson started pouring down his neck.

"Come on, Swarrid! Put Agent Eppes down and we can work something out!" Colby yelled desperately. Swarrid was getting closer and closer to the elevators on the other side of the lobby.

"Suzie and Nikki, get ready." Liz whispered into her comm. unit.

Suzie and Nikki were down in the lobby dressed in civilian clothes, not in the tac gear that the others were in.

"Got it." Nikki said nonchalantly into her fist.

"What'd you do t' Robin?" Don demanded. He definitely did not have the size advantage to try anything here. Swarrid was a good three inches taller and 100 pounds heavier. He desperately tried to remember what had happened when he got to Charlie's hospital room. He knew Robin had been there, but couldn't remember her condition.

"Shut up, Don." Swarrid growled and pressed the knife harder against Don's skin. Don grunted as the pain radiated up his neck. He also felt a dull thumping pain on the back of his head. "I'm going to go down this elevator." Swarrid announced to the agents. "If I even get a whiff of any type of agent down there Agent Eppes here is going to be in for more than just a slit throat." He lowered his voice. "Hit the down button, Don. You try anything and your precious little wifey will pay for it."

Don reached blindly behind him and felt for the wall as pure rage swept over him. Where was Robin that he could make demands like that? Was she being held hostage too? He slammed what he assumed was the down button with his fist. He didn't realize how hard he hit it until he felt a throbbing start through his hand. He cursed Swarrid in his head for not being able to remember.

Colby noticed that even though Don's eyes were open and he was talking to Swarrid he still wasn't walking on his own. He hoped it was just jelly legs that were keeping him from walking and not something more serious.

Swarrid stepped into the safety of the elevator and instructed Don to hit the Lobby button.

"You know they can shut this elevator down." Don said coolly.

"I told you to shut up, Eppes." Swarrid growled.

The doors slid shut.

Swarrid pulled his knife away quickly and slammed Don up against the wall.

"Get a helicopter in the air! I want this guy tailed! And get a perimeter set up around town so he can't leave!" Colby started yelling out orders as soon as the doors shut. "Nikki, Suzie, get out of the lobby _now_ and see what car they get in."

Suzie and Nikki eagerly followed orders. They ran outside and placed themselves in a shadow near the exit. They watched the exit carefully. Don was limping heavily when he walked out the doors. He had a nice shiner and it appeared to be swelling his left eye shut. Right behind him was Swarrid. He had a nice bruise on his right cheek and his nose appeared to be bleeding slightly. The two agents made sure they didn't look like they were watching them and stayed hidden.

The elevator scramble had been a futile attempt for Don, even though Swarrid had started it. Don had hoped to get the knife away from Swarrid, but it had worked the opposite way. He now had a deep slash in his left calf and it hurt with the slightest pressure. But he kept his chin high. He had placed some nice shots. The one he was most proud of was usually not a fair shot, but he found it okay in this case.

When they walked out he felt eyes on him. He didn't look the direction he felt, but he had noticed two agents missing from the standoff upstairs. He hoped and prayed Swarrid didn't notice. "Keep moving, Eppes. I smell agents." Don grimaced and was aware of a slight prick of the knife in his back. So he _did _notice or he was just bluffing…

Swarrid kept shoving Don forward. He didn't care that there was a gash in Don's leg. That made it better really. The more pain the better. Eventually he shoved Don into the trunk of a car.

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Robin was jerking as hard as she could, but couldn't get her hand free. Her wrist was raw and bleeding by now, but she had to get to the phone. She had to tell someone. That's when she heard a commotion outside. She strained to hear, but couldn't. She tugged harder. She groaned and wished there were a chance of waking Charlie.

She heard a few moments of silence and then the door bust open. A worried Colby stood there. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Robin wasn't injured.

"Where's Don?" Robin asked. She knew Don would be there unless… "Is he hurt?"

Colby was by her side in a flash with a key to the handcuffs. "Let's get your wrist looked at." Colby said as he dodged the subject.

"Colby, what happened to Don?" Robin asked. Tears started to fill her eyes. Something happened. "Did he take him?" she whispered.

Colby gave Robin a sympathetic look after he unlocked the cuff from her wrist. "I'm sorry, Robin."

Robin pressed a hand to her mouth to suppress the sob that came out.

Colby felt an uncomfortable churning in the pit of his stomach. He'd let his boss go. He pulled Robin into a hug. "I'm sorry." He repeated.

Robin sniffled and accepted the hug for a short time. She pulled back. "I-I have to call Alan."

"I can do that." Colby offered.

"No, I will." Robin said.

Colby stood and then helped Robin up. "I'll send a nurse over to bandage your wrist."

"Thanks." Robin replied and reached for the phone beside the hospital bed. She glanced over Charlie and thought it amazing that he had slept through the whole thing. She had to remind herself that he was on very powerful sedatives. He was practically in a drug induced coma. Colby left to find a nurse and then get back to work. He needed to find Don and he needed it done yesterday. With Don gone that left him in command. He didn't care if they had to fly down to the Dominican Republic to get enough coffee to last them the whole time Don was gone. They were going to find him.

"Hello?" A somewhat groggy voice asked.

"Alan? It's Robin." She tried to keep her voice under control.

"Robin, what's wrong? Is it Charlie?" The groggy voice was suddenly alert.

"No, no, Charlie's fine." Robin paused but couldn't help the octave change in her voice. "It's Don."

"Robin, I'm on my way over right now, you don't have to say anything, okay?" Alan tried to sooth.

"He took him, Alan. Don's gone."

Alan was stunned. Donny was gone?

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><p><em>So, you may have noticed I've been updating more quickly. Well I realized (because I'm a procrastinator) that if I don't update every day I won't get this done before I go on vacation! So you guys are all in for a treat (Because I procrastinated. XD)!<em>


	9. Chapter 9

"Where's that chopper?" Colby demanded.

"On its way over! Keep it together, Granger!" Walker yelled back.

Colby knew Walker was right. He was letting it get to him. He took a couple deep breaths and in a much calmer voice asked Nikki and Suzie if they'd gotten the car yet.

Nikki's voice reached Colby's ears through his headset. "Red Honda Accord, partial license plate is 3AM6"

"Good." Colby responded. "Now I want you to tail it, alright?"

"Gotchya." Suzie said as she and Nikki took off for their SUV.

"Tango4-89 requesting orders."

"Tango4-89 this is 5436." Colby replied. "There is a red Honda Accord with a partial of 3 Alpha Micah 6 that needs tailed. Confirm orders."

"Confirmed, 5436." The chopper pilot responded. The sky was turning gray as the sun started to peak out over the horizon. Early morning work traffic had just started to pick up.

Suzie was driving as fast as she possibly could to catch up to Swarrid's vehicle. Nikki picked up her cell and called Colby, knowing they were going to be out of comm. range soon.

Colby answered with a terse, "What?"

"Does the chopper have a location on Swarrid's car?" Nikki asked, not seeing anything.

"Tango4-89, do you have a location on the suspect?" he asked as he pressed his ear.

"Affirmative. Suspect is heading south on Broadway."

"Heading south on Broadway!" Colby repeated to Nikki who repeated to Suzie who took a crazy left turn and nearly toppled the car.

"Tango4-89, Unit 7 is on the ground. How far are they from the suspect?" Colby asked.

The lobby of the hospital where they had set up control was dead quiet as they listened to the voices that were being projected across speakers so everyone could hear. (Colby had let them tap into his phone call.)

Walker was directly to Colby's right and was relaying information to the LAPD for their perimeter.

"5436, Unit 7 is 12 blocks behind the suspect." Tango 4-89 reported.

"Nikki, you're twelve blocks behind Don." Colby barked. He heard the engine rev.

Suzie was going at dangerous speeds for downtown LA. (For the downtown of anywhere, really.) The speedometer was getting close to 80. She didn't dare to turn her lights on to tip off Swarrid, but passed cars anyway. So far they'd hit all green lights. Neither Nikki nor Suzie were paying attention to the side streets. Why should they? They had the right of way.

"I see the vehicle, Colby." Nikki said as they got closer. Suzie slowed down the speed now that they had caught up so they wouldn't look suspicious.

That's when a car shot out of an alley.

Suzie slammed on the brakes, but they still hit the car going 63 miles per hour. The SUV rolled head over tail when it impacted. The car they had hit had its roof crushed down when the SUV rolled over top of it. The SUV flipped 4 times. They landed on their wheels and then toppled over onto the driver's side.

All the control center heard was the squeal of brakes before the line went dead.

"Tango4-89, what the hell just happened?" Colby demanded.

"5436, Unit 7 was just was just in a collision with another vehicle."

Liz cursed and ran to the stairs.

"Tango4-89, keep on the suspect." Colby replied as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Someone get an ambulance out there!" Colby yelled to whoever was listening. "Where is the collision location?"

"Intersection of Broadway and Sycamore, 5436."

The morning traffic had jammed. James Weston, RN, was going to be late for work. He glanced at the clock on the dash and the road sign about him. Applewood. A full 20 some blocks from the hospital he worked at. He opened his door and stood out on the street to see what the holdup was. One block ahead was a car crash.

His nursing instincts kicked in and he ran forward to the nearest vehicle, a black SUV. The vehicle was on its side and he could hear voices inside.

"Is everyone alright in there?" he called out. He found that the windshield was smashed out and peered in.

Nikki and Suzie were still dazed from the crash. It had been a blur of airbags and being tossed around. Suzie had slammed hard into the steering wheel on initial impact and had blacked out for the crash. Nikki had a cut on her forehead from hitting the dash. After the car had stopped moving Nikki had tried to get out, but found her right leg was pinned. Suzie had come around a few moments after that. Then a man appeared at the windshield. He was dressed in dark blue scrubs. "Is everyone alright in there?" he asked.

"Ya." Nikki replied. "She hit her head pretty hard."

"I'm fine." Suzie grumbled. She clambered for her seatbelt button.

"Here, I got it." The man offered. "I'm James. I work in the emergency room at LA General." He clicked the seatbelt button.

Nikki, being more lucid, responded first. "I'm Nikki and that's Suzie. We're FBI."

James was surprised at how calm the two were. Usually car wreck victims would freak out and bawl their eyes out. (Well the girls anyways. Especially young ones.) He knocked some more glass out of the window so he wouldn't cut himself or Suzie when he pulled her out. James grabbed Suzie under the arms and asked, "Ready?""

Suzie nodded and then wished she hadn't as everything went topsy turvy.

James pulled and had Suzie out relatively easily. After he made sure her head injury was the only thing wrong with her he crawled back in for Nikki. He heard sirens in the distance. _'Good.'_ He thought. _'They can deal with the other car.'_

"My leg's jammed in here pretty good." Nikki said as she looked down and saw just how badly the car had encased her. It hurt, but not bad enough that it serious.

"Let's see what I can do." James said kindly and crawled into the space.

Robin was down in the main lobby waiting for Alan. She heard the sliding doors open and Alan walked in with Amita right behind him.

"Robin, what happened?" Alan asked worriedly.

"They found the man who was behind the plot to shoot Charlie." Robin started.

"What happened to Don." Alan pressed. He didn't care about the details at the moment. He just wanted to know what had happened to his eldest.

"The man behind the shooting had a grudge against Don from his fugitive hunting days." Robin bit her trembling lip as the words suddenly hit her with full force. "He kidnapped Don."

Alan was too shocked to offer his soon to be daughter-in-law any comfort. But Amita knew what kidnapping felt like even though she had tried to forget it. "I'm so sorry, Robin." Amita said and hugged her.

Colby suddenly understood the meaning of pressure. Yes, he'd had pressure before, but not like this. Not when someone he knew was on the line. Especially his boss. _He_ was usually the one that ended up with a gun pointed at his head, not Don. It reminded him of the time Megan had been taken by Crystal Hoyle. He had suddenly understood completely now why Don had closed the curtains on Buck Winters. He didn't realize how much he _didn't_ understand until now.

Currently he was standing with a white knuckle grip on the edge of the table waiting for the ambulance to call the crash in. As soon as they did he was heading down to the ER to meet them.

"5436, the suspect just entered a parking garage. We've lost visual."

Colby cussed. "Tango 4-89, hover over and report any cars that come out." He turned and yelled at the nearest agent, "Get ready to write the cars down." That's when Colby's cell rang. The caller ID let him know it was Ian.

"Please tell me this is good news. " Colby answered.

"If you wanna call it that." Ian replied dryly. "I'm behind Swarrid's car."

"Good. Let us know if he does a car swap." Colby replied.

"Got it." Ian replied and clicked his phone shut.

The call from the ambulance came and Colby rushed into the elevator. When he entered the main lobby on his way he saw Alan, Amita, and Robin.

He really wanted to apologize to Alan. He had been in command when Don was taken. He still was.

Alan looked up and saw Colby. He instantly knew the look on his face. He'd seen it so many times on Don's.

Colby walked the short distance forward. He saw the looks of desperation in the trio's eyes. "We still haven't got him yet. We're trying to keep a low profile because…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind."

"Do you have someone tailing him?" Robin asked.

Colby nodded. "Look, guys, I'm sorry. I was in command and I let him walk Don right out of here."

Alan placed a firm hand on Colby's shoulder. "I'm sure there was nothing else you could have done, Colby. Don't beat yourself up over it. You'll find him."

Colby nodded and Alan let go of his shoulder. "There's going to be someone at Charlie's door 24/7 now instead of just visiting hours." They nodded and the he took off for the ER.

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><p><em>Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, guysgals! :D_


	10. Chapter 10

3.14159265358979323

4 hours had passed since Ian had lost the Kia Rio Swarrid had changed into. The perimeter had been set up by then, but there was a chance he had slipped through. Now that most of the action had died down they'd all moved back to the FBI building. They'd sent out pictures of Swarrid and Don out to police stations, hospitals, and even airports across the state.

Liz and Ian were currently sorting out random information that had come in from different sources in the past hours that were related to suspicious activity or gunfire.

Colby had sent Nikki and Suzie home after they were released from the hospital. Suzie had a mild concussion and Nikki had just had deep bruising on her leg. They had been _very _lucky. (Nikki said she was driving next time.) They hadn't liked being sent home, but Colby had promised to call them if anything came up. An hour after that, Colby had passed out at his desk which is where he currently was. And that was why Ian was grudgingly helping Liz with all the police reports. He would rather be out trying to figure out how he had lost that car. He voiced his complaint to Liz.

"If you wanna go wake up Granger, be my guest. But he is _not_ going to be a happy camper." Liz replied.

"Hmm. Good point." Ian decided paperwork was safer than Colby at the moment.

Larry and Amita were currently pouring over a map of LA that was marked up with different colored markers and sticky notes. They had stacks of paper splayed everywhere that they were referencing and marking the map with.

"There has to be an error in this data." Amita said suddenly. She glanced over at Charlie on reflex to see what he thought, but of course he was still unconscious.

Larry nodded. "I agree. Unless this man invented a wormhole device, there is no way that the vehicle got from point A to point B in that amount of time."

"What does that mean?" Alan asked from across the room.

"That Don is still in the perimeter and probably not too far away." Amita replied as she pulled out her phone.

A thought suddenly struck Robin. "Wait a minute… Swarrid took my phone."

"I think you've mentioned this before." Larry stated quizzically.

"Ya, but I figured he tossed it out the window or took out the battery. What if he didn't?"

"Then you'd know where Swarrid was." Alan said. "And where Swarrid is…"

"Don is." Robin finished.

Colby heard an annoying sound near his ear. He wanted to ignore it and go back to sleep. But then he realized it was his phone. He shot up from his desk and quickly answered with what he hoped wasn't a groggy voice. "Granger."

"Colby, it's Amita."

"Is something wrong?" he asked instantly.

"No, actually. Larry and I were looking over the data you gave us earlier on the perimeter and we came up with an anomaly." Amita replied.

"Okay?" Colby rubbed the heel of his hand across his eyes. He hoped she wasn't going to go into some long math explanation. He wasn't awake enough for that.

"Unless Swarrid's car had rockets attached to it there is no way he could have made it 12 blocks ahead of Nikki and Suzie at the speed they were going." Amita said. "But we did find that if Swarrid left when they said he did and went normal speed the whole way the perimeter would have caught him by now."

"So that means we identified the wrong car and Don and Swarrid are still inside the perimeter." Colby put together.

"Exactly."

"Thanks, Amita." Colby stood and was about to hang up.

"Oh, um, Robin said Swarrid has her phone." Amita interjected.

"What?" Colby asked in disbelief. Why hadn't she mentioned that before?

"She said she thinks he probably destroyed it or tossed it, but it's worth a shot."

"She's right. Tell her thanks." Colby didn't hear Amita's response as he hung up the phone and jogged over to the war room.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." Liz greeted.

Colby ignored Liz's taunt. "Amita called. She said there was no possible way that the red car we tailed was Swarrid And that Swarrid has Robin's phone."

Ian stood. "That means they're still in the perimeter." He cursed. "I bet you he never even left the hospital to begin with."

Ian Edgerton was dead on. Swarrid had tossed Don in the trunk of a car while he paid off two teenagers with a twenty to stage as a decoy. Then they sat in the parking lot for three hours. He had given Don an ACE wrap for his slashed calf. He couldn't have him bleeding out on him now.

After what felt like forever to Don, the car lurched into motion. He had successfully bandaged his calf and then tried to figure out a way out of the trunk. He didn't have time. The car ride was extraordinarily short. Somewhere around 15 minutes, Don guessed. When the trunk opened he found himself in a basement. In the middle of the room was a chair that was bolted to the floor. In all honesty he thought it looked like a chair the dentist used.

Swarrid gruffly pulled Don out by the front of his shirt and threw him into the chair. His wrists were cuffed to the arms of the chair and a belt was drawn tightly around his forehead, chest, and thighs so he couldn't squirm around or look anywhere. Swarrid then left for a while. He figured it was to move his car and close the garage door he could see the top of. So was this a basement? Or a garage? Both?

Swarrid looked pleased with himself when he returned. "Now, Don, I'm sure you remember what my victims looked like when I was done with them." Don had to keep himself from wincing at the memory. "I assure you that you are going to look much worse. But I'm not going to touch your pretty little face anymore. I want them to be able to recognize you." Swarrid grinned as he saw Don shiver. "That's why I'm going to let them find you." He pulled out Robin's phone from his back pocket. Don recognized it and really wished his short term memory of that event would come back.

"What did you do to her?" He growled.

"Oh, don't you remember, Don? I didn't do anything to her. _You_ did."

Don's face paled. "What?"

"You handcuffed her to Charlie's bed. In that mess it's probably going to be some time before someone finds her, or before she pulls it off herself. You know how painful that is."

Don grimaced.

"Hm... Who should we call first? Alan maybe?" He clicked the phone shut. "I think we should have some fun before we call your dad. What do you think?"

"Go to hell."

A half an hour later they had a plan ready to go. Robin had supplied them with her phone number and they already had a tech guy ready to trace the call. Colby and Suzie were positioned on one side of the perimeter and Liz, Nikki, and Ian were positioned on the other side.

"Ready?" Colby asked everyone over the comm. system.

"Ready." Came from Liz and a few LAPD cars.

"Okay, I'm making the call." Colby announced. Liz let the tech know the call was starting.

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><p><em>*insert some non-generic comment about being happy about getting reviews here* :D <em>


	11. Chapter 11

Everything was going according to Swarrid's plan. That was until the phone rang. They weren't supposed to call him. He was supposed to call them. Swarrid ran through what had happened since he got here. He started with the water, putting a rag over Don's mouth a pouring water in to give the illusion of drowning. Then he went to something a little more barbaric, but useful for keeping injuries hidden: soap in a pillow case. Yes, it was an old school trick, but it was one of his favorites. The bruises didn't show up for a couple days. He had been about to start with the jagged knives. (He'd already used the nice smooth ones.) Swarrid tried not to show it, but Don saw that the phone had messed him up and he smiled past the pain. "Better answer it."

Swarrid shot Don a menacing look and picked up the phone. "Colby Granger, how nice of you to call."

"Why thank you, I was thinking the same." Colby replied. If it was a battle of sarcasm he wanted, it was a battle of sarcasm he would get.

"Well, Agent, you know I'm not stupid enough to stay on the line while you trace this call. So what do you want? Make it quick."

"I'd like to talk to Don." Colby replied.

"Aren't I fun enough to talk to?" Swarrid asked with a fake pouting tone.

"Sorry, Nattie, but I'd like to speak to Donnie." Colby hoped Don never heard this conversation.

There was silence for a moment and Colby thought Swarrid had hung up. "You better watch your back, Granger." He growled.

Suzie signaled to Colby for 45 more seconds.

Colby nodded then said, "I've been threatened before. You're not going to scare me."

"Here's your precious Eppes." Swarrid growled. He held the phone beside Don's ear. He was too angry to care how long he'd been on the phone.

"Colby?" Don asked.

"Hey, Don, you alright?"

Don heard the concern in his voice and smiled. "Ya, Colb. Been better though." He wouldn't admit to the tremendous pain burning across his abdomen.

Colby knew what 'been better' meant though. "Hang in there, Don. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"I know." Don glanced from Swarrid to the phone and back, worried that he was going to pull it away as he asked, "How's Robin?"

"Fine-" was all Don could hear before Swarrid clicked the phone shut, suddenly realizing his mistake.

Colby clicked his own phone shut. "Did we get it?" he asked.

"We got it narrowed down to a 3 block by 3 block area." Liz said. "I'm sending the area over to your phone."

Colby waited a couple seconds and watched as the GPS showed up. He shifted gear and hit the gas. They were close.

Swarrid knew he had pushed his luck. Until now he had stuck to things he knew Don could handle so he would last for a longer time. Now it was time to press on and avenge his brother before the feds showed up. He walked over to a stereo and turned the volume up the whole way. Music blared out of the box and Don realized what it was for. It was so the neighbors didn't hear what was really going on. Don clamped his jaw tight together. He wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Don squeezed his eyes shut. He was never going to be able to listen to Bob Seger ever again.

Only a mere 10 minutes later, Colby squealed to a stop on the corner of 16th Street. "Liz, how long 'till you get here?" Colby asked impatiently.

"6 minutes!" Liz said back.

"Too long." Colby muttered. He knew when it came to torture that a lot could happen in 6 minutes. They still had to find the right house too.

"We can go." Suzie whispered.

"You up to it?" Colby asked.

"Of course I am." Suzie replied. "Just wishin' that the fighting could stay overseas."

"That's the truth." Colby agreed. They both quietly stepped out of the car and were suddenly aware of a faint playing of the 70s.

On a hunch Colby headed toward the direction of the music. Suzie followed and drew her weapon when Colby did.

House 241 was the source of the music. All the lights were off, which was odd. As they got closer Colby saw that there were lights in what appeared to be a below ground garage. Colby used hand motions to signal for Suzie to wait for him there. He was going to look through the window. Colby crept up as silent as a shadow. He took one quick look in and his suspicions were confirmed. The image of Don strapped to the chair burned itself into his memory. Swarrid had been attaching something to Don's chest…

Colby jogged back over. "Go for the back. Clear the rooms." he instructed. "Liz, we're going in." he said into his earpiece. He hoped she could hear him over the loud music. He tried the door knob on the front door and was surprised when it opened. He swung it open fast and raised his weapon. He cleared the dark living room. He moved to the kitchen that was connected to it and cleared every inch of that room too. He moved into what appeared to be the laundry room. It was clear too. He walked back out and met Suzie in the kitchen. "My rooms are clear." She said just loud enough that Colby could hear.

He nodded. "Upstairs?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Didn't check." Colby nodded and motioned for her to follow him. He headed to where Suzie had just left. There was just a bathroom and a set of steps leading up. Something was suspicious. If there was a below ground garage how did you get to it? Colby pushed on the wall where usually a utility closet door was. He felt a slight give and pushed harder. The wall (actually a door) swung open silently and the music got way louder. Steps led down to a basement. Colby held his hand up and motioned for Suzie to follow him. Colby got a faint whiff of burning flesh and ran down the steps yelling, "FBI! Put your hands where I can see them!" Suzie yelled the same thing in her own variation.

The brightly lit area was a change from the dark upstairs and the light stung for a second, but they kept their guns at chest height.

Swarrid was standing above Don holding a burning hot piece of metal to the tender skin on his side. There was a sick sizzling noise and the tension in Don's jaw showed how much pain the man was in.

"Only two?" Swarrid asked disappointedly. They had to read his lips because the music overpowered his voice.

Suzie's "psychic" powers started tingling. He wanted as many feds dead as he could and he had drawn them here with Don. Something else was bound to happen now that they were here.

"Put the rod down!" Colby yelled to be heard.

Swarrid reached behind him and turned the stereo off. "Let's have a civilized conversation, shall we?"

Don almost sighed when the rod was taken off, but kept it back. Now that the rod had stopped that meant the shocking was on its way. He then noticed the music being turned off. Why had Swarrid stopped? Then he heard Colby and smiled against his control.

"Look, Swarrid, the building's surrounded." Colby bluffed. "You're not going anywhere."

Suzie followed two wires connected to Don's bare chest back to a machine that was very close to Swarrid. Other than the slightly burns on Don's side and what appeared to be some knife cuts he didn't look in that bad of shape. The goofy smile on Don's face suggested drugs.

"Colby, we're here! Where are you?" Liz asked in Colby and Suzie's ear.

"I'm not going to give up that easily." Swarrid said. "I still haven't had my fun."

Suzie and Colby tensed, ready to fire.

"Colby?" Liz demanded.

"Look, Swarrid, can't we talk about this?" Colby asked. Liz got the message. Can't talk.

Suzie was watching Swarrid carefully.

"No." Swarrid replied and shot his hand out like lightning. He hit a button on the machine Don was hooked up to and the two agents were momentarily distracted as Don cried out in pain and started jerking violently as electricity coursed through his body.

Swarrid dove for something that Suzie instantly recognized. "BOMB!" she yelled.

Colby dove for Don and Suzie squeezed off a round. The round tore through Swarrid's heart just as he hit the detonator. As Colby ripped the wires of Don's chest and he stopped jerking there was a massive rumbling and the ground shook. The floor above them collapsed.

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><p><em>Dun dun dun. Oh and Bob Seger just so happened to be what was playing when I wrote this. So I apologize if you absolutely adore him like I do. :) And I love the fact that reviewers are asking for Don whump. XD I love writing Don whump. I won't be getting too far into it at the moment. Maybe there will be room for flashbacks in an epilogue? *nudge nudge wink wink*<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Little warning here. This chapter is a looooot longer than the other ones. It was two shorter chapters, but I liked them better put together. So, enjoy!_

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><p>The rest of the LAPD and SWAT cars got there when the bomb went off. Ambulances arrived moments later. Liz desperately tried to listen to the comm. unit in her ear. She heard a scraggly voice.<p>

"Colby!" Suzie yelled as she hacked on the dust that was hanging heavily in the air. She had narrowly missed a couch that had fallen through the ceiling. "Colby are you alright?"

"Suzie!" Liz called. "Suzie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Suzie said. "We're at 241 on 17th street."

"Ya, we got that." Liz said. "The bomb was a bit of a clue. We're sending rescue teams, alright?"

"I'm gonna try and find Colby and Don." Suzie replied.

"Be careful." Liz warned.

Suzie could barely see in the heavy dust of the explosion. Her ears were still ringing and her guts felt like mush from the concussion of the bomb. She got flashbacks of Iraq and tried to shove them to the back of her mind. "Colby? Don?" She called again as she pushed some chunks of drywall and plywood out of her way. She tried to go in the direction she had last seen the two agents. She wasn't going to bother to check on Swarrid. If he wasn't dead already then he would be soon. She knew where her bullet had planted itself.

It was only when Suzie had to duck underneath a table that she realized she'd been crawling the whole time. "Colby? Don?" She called.

"Over here." She heard Don croak.

Suzie pushed through some more debris and found the bottom post of what looked like a dental chair. She looked up and saw that Colby had thrown himself overtop of Don. She stood and started pushing large chunks of wreckage off of them. "You alright?" Suzie asked.

" 'm fine. Help Colby." Don said. He was irritated that the young agent had risked his life for him and now he couldn't even help the unconscious man. The cuffs holding his arms in place were preventing him from that. He also found it kind of awkward that his face was in Colby's chest. Suzie huffed as she shoved at a chunk of wall that was on top of Colby with her shoulder. When it finally toppled over it sent off a series of other crashes and made more plaster dust fall on top of them. Suzie coughed into her fist as she inhaled some of the filth.

Suzie gave Colby a once over and found the main injury. She looked down and found the source of the injury. A piece of metal piping had clipped his side and he was now gushing blood. "Liz, can you put the rush on that medical team?" Suzie asked as she tried to think of a way to slow the blood flow. She didn't pay attention to Liz's response as she pulled out her handy dandy knife. She quickly cut the belts that were strapping Don down to the chair. "Are there keys for these cuffs?" She asked Don.

"He has them." Don said.

Suzie grimaced. "Is there a way you can put pressure on his side while I see if I can get the keys?"

Don nodded. "Roll 'im on his good side."

Liz looked at the partially collapsed house and wondered what was going on underneath the wreckage. The rescue team had told them to stand back because even the slightest movement could send the structure toppling down. Liz had tried to tell Suzie that, but she was obviously ignoring her at the sound of crashing and breaking coming from the house.

"If they don't hurry up I'm going to start moving stuff myself." Ian grumbled. The rescue team had set out to find the steps down to the basement. They figured they should still be in shape enough to be able to get down to the next floor safely.

Nikki was getting twitchy too. Two of the people she considered her best friends were trapped down there and probably injured. "Should someone call Alan and tell him we found Don?" Nikki asked.

"I wouldn't." Liz answered. "Not until we know what kind of condition he's in."

Nikki nodded. It would be bad to call and tell them they found him and then… She grimaced at the thought and told herself that it wouldn't happen. They'd get Don out alright.

Suzie found Swarrid with no problem and found he was still hanging on by a thread. His gasping breaths echoed in the small cavern he had been trapped in. Suzie took a deep breath and crawled over to the dying man. "Mr. Swarrid?" she asked.

His eyes darted over to her and recognized her as the one who had shot him. His eyes narrowed.

"Look, Mr. Swarrid, you're dying and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Can you please just hand over the keys so I can get Agent Eppes out of here?" Suzie tried to reason. She saw the cold stare in his eyes and knew it wasn't happening. "Look I know why you did it. You had a hard childhood, right? Your older brother was probably very special to you. You fled to him when something bad happened and you thought he was invincible. So when you finally got out of your childhood you did whatever he told you even if you didn't like it. But you still thought your brother was Superman, invincible. So when Don shot him and it showed you that he was just like everyone else, you hated it. So instead of hating your brother you moved that hate to Don. You associated your brother's downfall with Don and when you found out he had a brother you plotted your revenge." Suzie saw the look in Swarrid's eyes and knew she'd struck a nerve. "Now you put Don's younger brother in the hospital and he's not going to be there to comfort him. How's that going to affect him?" She paused and gave Swarrid one last stare. "Please, give me the keys so a brother can comfort the other." She hoped and prayed those four years of psychology paid off. But they didn't have time to because Suzie watched the life fade out of Swarrid's still open eyes and heard his gasping stop. Suzie cussed and started searching his pockets. She found one ring with eight keys on it and Robin's phone. She then made her way back over to Colby and Don. She made it back faster than before.

She started shoving keys into the lock and found the right one after two tries. _'Third time's the charm.' _She said grimly in her head. Don shook some feeling back into his hands and started to heft Colby into a sitting position as he put better pressure on his side. A moan escaped Colby's lips as pain flared up his side. Suzie unlocked the other cuff and then hurried to help Granger. Don sat up stiffly, trying not to use his abdomen, and helped keep Colby in a sitting position.

Colby's comm. system was still on hands-free and the three agents standing on the edge of the wreckage heard the moan and knew Colby would only make that noise if something was seriously wrong. "That's it." Ian decided and picked his way carefully into the house. Nikki and Liz followed. The rescue team tried to get them to go away.

"Look, Suzie, we're coming to you. Can you make some kind of noise to let us know where you are?" Liz asked.

Suzie looked around her and tried to find someplace that she could see out of into the next level. She found a small hole where light was coming through from the early day sun. She looked around and found a long skinny piece of wood. Carefully she picked it up and tried to stick it out. Height was an issue for her though. She cautiously stepped up onto the bottom part of the chair Don and Colby were on and found the hole was easier to reach. "I've got a board." She informed the agents that were listening. "Just look for movement." She tried to move the pole up and down as best she could.

Ian's keen eyesight was the first to pick it up. "There!" he said and pointed.

"Hey!" Nikki yelled loudly to the rescue team. "They're over here!"

Ian and Liz were the first ones there. They started pulling things out of the way to get a bigger hole made. Liz was relieved to see that Don was alright. Suzie dropped the board with a small clatter and got down off the chair.

"How are you doing, Eppes?" Ian asked.

"Fine." Don replied. "Colby's out cold. I'm not sure how we're gonna get him out of here."

"There's a rescue team up here and EMTs ready. We'll take care of it." Liz reassured.

Suzie walked over and helped Don put more pressure on the gash in Colby's side. "Did you check him for a head injury?" she asked gently. Colby moaned slightly as more pressure was applied.

"Don't have to. He's bleeding on me." Don muttered. Suzie grimaced. That wasn't good.

Ian laid flat on his stomach and reached a hand down. "Can you guys reach?" he asked.

"You first, Don. I've got Colby." Suzie said.

Don nodded. As much as he'd like to help his friend he was eager to get out of there. Suzie helped Don lower Colby to the chair. She then stood on top of the chair again and clasped her hands together for something to give Don a boost up with. Don grabbed hold of Ian's hand and stepped onto Suzie's clasped hands. Ian gave a good tug and Suzie pushed upwards. Don grunted as pain rippled throughout his body, but he soon found himself on the ground floor.

Some EMTs rushed over and gave him a quick looking over before taking him to an ambulance.

"How's Colb?" Nikki asked as she glanced in.

"Not so good." Suzie called back. "How're we getting him out?"

"The rescue team's bringing over a harness." Nikki replied.

Suzie was still keeping tight pressure on Colby's side, but warm liquid was still gushing out. She saw his eyes flicker. "Colby, you with us?"

"Mmm… Whut hppn'd?" His green eyes floated down to Suzie's face and then to his side.

"You covered Don from the bomb." Suzie explained. "You got hit with some piping."

" 'm tired." He mumbled.

"I know you are, Colby, but you gotta stay with me, okay?" Suzie coaxed.

Colby nodded.

"Where's that harness?" She yelled back up to the people above.

"It's coming down now!" Liz yelled back.

Suzie saw a rope being lowered down with the harness attached to the end. "Wha's that?" Colby asked.

"It's a harness. I'm gonna strap it on you and they're gonna lift you up. Alright?" Suzie grabbed hold of the harness and started to sit Colby up right.

"Yes, ma'am." He mumbled as his eyes drifted shut.

"Colby!" Suzie said sharply. Colby jerked and opened his eyes. "Can you hold yourself up for me?" She was having trouble getting the harness on with one hand.

"Don't think so…" he mumbled.

"Alright, that's okay." Suzie said. "Can you lift your arm up then?" Suzie then easily slipped the harness on and tightened it as she kept Colby talking and awake. "Alright! Lift him up!" she yelled. It took them no time to lift Colby up and EMTs whisked him away on a gurney already shoving an IV into his wrist.

"Your turn." Ian said and offered a hand down again. Suzie stood up on the chair and grabbed Ian's hand. Ian huffed slightly as he lifted her up. Nikki helped her up the rest of the way. "Jeez, what do you weigh? 45 pounds?" Ian joked lightly.

"Ha ha." Suzie said sarcastically.

"You okay?" Liz asked instead.

"I'm fine." Suzie said. "How's Don?"

"Already on the way to the hospital." Nikki replied. "C'mon, I'll take ya."

Liz nodded. "We'll wrap things up here and be over."

"Don't I have to fill out a statement?" Suzie asked.

"You can do that later." Liz said. "Now go on." She gave her a slight push in the direction of the SUVs.

Robin was watching the phone. She hadn't taken her eyes off of it for some time. So when it rang she reacted with superhuman reflexes. "Did you find him?" she answered.

"Ya, Robin." Nikki said. "He's on his way over to the hospital already. He should be there soon."

"Thanks, Nikki." Robin replied. She snapped the phone shut. "They got Don." She told Alan. Without saying a word they both ran out of the room to meet Don in the ER.

Don was drifting in and out of it. The pain medication he was on was really doing the trick. He heard some people talking to him and asking him questions. He tried to answer as best he could. But when he heard _her _voice he paid full attention. "Robin." He said and opened his eyes.

"Hey." Robin greeted. She appeared to be floating over Don and he realized she was leaning over the gurney to look at him. They were still speeding down the hall.

"You okay?" Don asked. "Swarrid didn't hurt you?"

"No, Don." Robin said with a smile.

"Mr. Eppes, can you look here for a moment?" a female voice asked.

Don didn't want to look away from Robin. He wanted to look at her forever. But he decided it was best to listen to the doctors. He looked over at the doctor and winced as a bright light was shone into his eyes. He heard someone tell Robin that she couldn't go any further.

"Wait." He said suddenly. The gurney rolled to a stop.

"It's alright, Don." Robin said and stroked his sweaty face.

"How's Colby?" he asked.

"Colby?" Robin asked.

Don nodded vigorously.

"I'll find out and tell you later, okay?" Robin said.

Don nodded again.

"Ready now, Mr. Eppes?" The female doctor asked.

"Mmhm." Don agreed.

The doctor nodded and some more pain killer was introduced into the IV. Don drifted off before the gurney was even in motion again.

Nikki and Suzie pulled into the hospital right behind Colby's ambulance. They kept up the fast pace the EMTs were running at. "Mr. Granger, you need to stay with us." One of the medics said.

"Hey, Colby," Nikki said as she got close. "You listen to those doctors, okay?"

"Ya…" Colby mumbled. Why couldn't they understand? His whole body hurt and the pain meds weren't doing anything. He really just needed to go to sleep… He heard Suzie's voice pull him back.

"Not much longer now, Colby." She said. "You just hang on a little longer and then you can sleep all you want."

"…Sounds good." He drawled.

"There we go, Mr. Granger." A doctor encouraged.

Down the hall a little ways Robin and Alan saw them coming. They saw the pale form on the bed and were instantly worried. He looked worse than Don. Only a short couple seconds passed before the doctors were telling Suzie and Nikki that they'd have to wait here.

"Hey, how's Don?" Nikki asked when she realized Robin and Alan were standing there.

"Better than Colby." Robin responded.

Alan looked from Nikki to the girl he didn't know. Nikki saw Alan and said, "Oh! Alan, Robin, this is Suzie McFlinn. She's a profiler like Megan was. She just started today… or yesterday I guess I should say."

"Welcome to LA then, Suzie." Alan greeted and shook her hand. "I'm Don's dad and this is his fiancé."

Suzie nodded in acknowledgement and shook Robin's hand too. "Nice meeting you both. Wish it was under better circumstances though."

"Tell me about it." Robin complained.

"Where are you from?" Alan asked curiously.

Nikki acted like she wasn't paying attention. Suzie saw right through it. "Pennsylvania."

"That's quite a long ways away." Alan replied.

Suzie just shrugged. "You do what you have to."

"So what happened?" Alan asked. "How did Colby get hurt? He didn't get shot did he?"

"No, no, no." Nikki hurried to cut off Alan's speculation. The idea of Colby getting shot made her shiver. "Colby and Suzie went in to get Don with back up five minutes away."

"Five minutes is a long time." Suzie mumbled.

"Would you like to tell the story then?" Nikki asked as she put a hand on her hip.

"Yes, please." Suzie replied. Alan was amused at how the two girls interacted with each other. It reminded him of Donny and Charlie. "Colby and I knew that five minutes was a long time when it came to situations like Don's. So we ran out of the car-"

"She has a concussion, so you know." Nikki butted in.

"-and found where Don was being held. We went in, cleared the downstairs, and then entered the basement. Swarrid and Don were down there. After a brief conversation with Swarrid he caused a distraction that allowed him to set off a bomb." She looked Alan straight in the eyes as she said, "Colby threw himself over Don to protect him." Then she glanced down at her feet. "I had to put a round in Swarrid's chest."

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

* * *

><p><em>Yep. I tried for some fail psychology up there. XD I just tried to imagine what Megan would say in a situation like that and Suzie-fied it. So… What do you think about Colby's idiocyheroism? Lol. __**_


	13. Chapter 13

"Colby risked his life for Don's?" Alan asked.

Suzie nodded. "When the explosion went off a broken piece of piping came down and cut Colby's side open. He also probably has a concussion."

Robin glanced over at the doors both Colby and Don had disappeared behind and desperately wanted to know how the two men were doing. "How was Don?" Robin asked. "I mean… like…"

"I know." Suzie said and held up a hand to stop her. "He seemed alright. He didn't talk much though."

Robin nodded. Silence followed for quite some time.

About an hour or so later a nurse walked out of the door. "For Mr. Eppes?" They all turned their heads expectantly.

"I'm his father." Alan offered.

"Your son is doing great." She said cheerily. "We've examined him thoroughly and found that the only serious injury he has is the knife wound in his calf muscle. He has some burns, knife wounds, and internal bruising on his abdomen, but nothing that needs to be worried about. Other than lots of rest and crutches, he's going to be fine."

Robin broke out into a smile. "Can we see him?"

The nurse nodded. "Only two at a time, please."

In unspoken agreement, Robin and Alan followed the nurse through the doors.

"Well, we might as well get comfortable." Nikki decided. She sat on a chair and put her hands behind her head. She tried not to act like she was worried, but Colby was like her own brother. She couldn't help being worried. Suzie sat down next to her. "You know you're covered in plaster dust, right?" she asked as she tried to vent her nervous tension.

"Yes, Nikki. I am aware." Sarcasm practically dripped out of Suzie's mouth.

"So… … Pennsylvania…"

Suzie tried not to slap her forehead too hard.

Don was lying comfortably on the bed with his foot propped up on a pillow. His hospital gown was pulled up so that the nurse standing at his side could apply a bandage to his side. He wasn't paying attention to the nurse though. His thoughts were on that idiot Colby. All he knew was that when he saw the agent he was giving him a stern talking to. Possibly followed by a good smack to the back of the head. Then he thought about Charlie. Had Charlie came around while he was gone? What had they told him? That Swarrid had marched into his room and taken his brother right out from under his nose?

"Are you up to visitors?" The nurse asked as she smoothed the gown back down and brought the blanket back up.

"Of course." Don replied with a cheeky smile. The nurse smiled back and then walked out of the room… or was it more of a cubicle? Don stopped that train of thought before it could go anywhere. (Pain medication was bliss.) It was only a minute or so later that the curtain was pushed back and he saw Alan and Robin.

"Hey, guys." He greeted with a big smile.

"You are not allowed to do that _ever _again." Alan decided as he saw his son.

"Believe me, dad, I don't plan on it." Don replied. He glanced over at Robin and his eyebrows knitted together as he saw the white bandage on her wrist. "Robin-"

Robin rushed over to his side and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "It wasn't your fault, Don." She whispered and rested her forehead on his.

"Yes it was." Don whispered back. He closed his eyes as he tried to take in the feeling of Robin's skin on his. One he hadn't been sure if he was going to feel again. "I'm the one that handcuffed you to the bed."

"It could have been worse." Robin told him. "He had a knife, Don. There was nothing else you could do." She pulled away and resorted to holding his hand.

Don grimaced but decided the argument could wait until later. "Now what happened to Colby?" Don changed the subject.

"He saved your life, Don." Alan said. "Try not to make it sound so bad."

"I'll make it sound as bad as it is. That idiot needs to stop being so heroic all the time." Don growled.

Robin smiled slightly. "That doesn't sound like anyone we know."

Don glanced down at his wrist instinctively and then tried to cover it up by crossing his arms over his chest. Alan's eyes twinkled knowingly.

"How about Charlie?" Don asked instead.

"They're thinking about taking him off the sedative soon." Alan replied.

"That's good." Don replied and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand.

The next several hours passed slowly for Don. Suzie and Nikki came in and filled him in on what had happened while he was being held hostage and how Colby was doing. The hospital was keeping him over night to make sure there was no swelling in the brain from his concussion and to keep an eye on the deep gash in his side. Liz and Ian eventually popped in telling him that everything had been wrapped up at the house and that Swarrid had been pronounced dead on the scene. (Don reminded himself to tell Suzie thank you later.) They were going to finish up their share of the paperwork and Don had asked nicely if they could bring some over for him to work on. He was going to need something to do while he was waiting in Charlie's room.

When the doctor approved of Don's use of the crutches he released him and told him he had to be off of it for _at least _three weeks. Don had shot Robin a look. The wedding. Robin had waved a hand and said they'd push it back a week if they had to. They had been procrastinating on sending out the invitations anyways. Don then made his way to Charlie's room where he dropped off the paperwork he needed to do. Then he went in search of Colby.

When he saw Colby all thoughts of yelling at him left his mind. He looked defenseless in the hospital bed. Don figured he was asleep from the even rising and falling of his chest. But before Don could leave the room one of Colby's eyes peaked open. "Don?" he asked huskily.

"Hey, Colb." Don greeted and hobbled over. "How you feeling?"

Colby seemed to think about it for a moment. "Thirsty." He decided.

Don spotted a water bottle on the bedside table. "I can fix that." He leaned heavily on his crutch as he reached over and opened the bottle for the wounded agent. He pressed it into Colby's hand and watched as he nearly chugged the whole thing. Don sat on the edge of the bed for a more comfortable position to talk.

"Just warning you," Don started as Colby put down the bottle. "You ever pull a stunt like that again and you get yourself killed, I will bring you back just so I can kill you myself. Understand?"

Colby rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dad."

A smile broke Don's face. "Hey, I'm serious." He defended.

Colby's eyes were twinkling with delight as he asked, "You gonna tuck me in before you go?"

Don couldn't help but chuckle. "You're a big boy now, Colby. We talked about this." He patted the Idaho boy's knee. "I'll be in to check on you later."

"Don't worry about me, Don." Colby assured. "My skull's pretty thick."

Don's smile broadened. "I don't need x-rays to tell me that." He stood back up. "Get some rest, bud. You did a good job today."

"Thanks, man." Colby replied. He watched Don shuffle out of the room and then leaned back on his pillows. He quickly dropped off into a refreshing sleep.

Don was back in Charlie's room before he knew it. Larry, Amita, Alan, and Robin were all there. They all glanced at him expectantly. "What?" he asked. They all looked away innocently. Larry even whistled. Something was up. Don kept a suspicious eye on them and then sat down. That's when he noticed. His eyes narrowed accusingly as he glanced from person to person. "Who took it?"

"Took what?" Robin asked with a flutter of her eyelashes.

Don had to keep himself from stuttering. "My paperwork."

Amita couldn't help herself. She started laughing. Alan soon followed.

"Guys, this isn't funny." Don whined. "I really need to get that stuff done."

The whine caused Robin to burst into laughter too. Larry just smiled and shook his head.

Don didn't find it all that hilarious, but couldn't help a small smirk cross over his face. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "You guys are ridiculous." He said as he settled into the uncomfortable chair.

They had finally taken Charlie off the sedative sometime late afternoon. And now that there was a chance he would wake up soon there was no way they were getting Amita or Don to leave his side. Robin and Alan had decided it was best to leave them there. Alan wasn't too fond of leaving either, but knew that Don would keep a careful eye out. So that night Robin and Alan left promising to return the next morning with breakfast. Amita and Don had hastily agreed. Anything to be able to stay.

Colby was struggling to reach another bottle of water they had put on the table. His left arm had limited mobility because it strained his side. He heard movement at the door and looked up to see Nikki and Suzie. They were wearing a different set of clothes and looked like they'd taken a shower recently. "What are you doing here?" Colby asked as he dropped his arm.

"Checking on you, Idaho." Nikki replied. She walked over and handed the bottle to him.

"I'm fine. No need to check on me." Colby replied.

"Mmhm." Nikki replied. "What's the doc say?"

"That I'm out of here tomorrow." Colby replied. "Off duty for a week or so and limited duty for a week after that."

Suzie could tell Colby was lying, but decided to keep it to herself. "Don't push it, Colby." She warned.

Colby gave the profiler a look. He hated human lie detectors.

Alan and Robin met at a local restaurant in the morning and picked up breakfast to go.

Don was sleeping soundly with his head back against the wall while Amita was scribbling something onto a notepad.

Charlie felt like he'd slept forever, but couldn't shake the feeling of being tired. He peeled his eyes open and realized he was in a hospital. The events of three -almost four- days prior suddenly hit him like it had happened two hours ago. He grimaced slightly and then looked over to his right where Amita sat. "Hey." He said hoarsely.

Amita looked up and a wide smile spread across her face. "Hey, Charlie." She greeted and then leaned over to kiss him.

Charlie smiled. "How are you and the baby?"

Amita smiled. "We're fine. What about you? You gave us a pretty good scare." She put a hand on his face and Charlie pressed against it.

"I feel fine. I'm guessing it's because of the drugs though." Charlie said with a small smile.

"Probably." Amita replied.

Charlie's brows furrowed together. "Where's Don?" he thought he remembered him being here. Something in the back of his head told him that he should be here.

Amita pointed to the other side of the room. "He's been worried sick about you."

Charlie looked over and saw his older brother sleeping the day away. He saw the black eye and the crutches and could only guess at what he'd done now. "What happened to him?" Charlie asked.

"I think you'd better let him explain." Amita suggested. "Here," She offered and held out a glass of water. Charlie gratefully took a couple sips. His stomach couldn't take much more though. Charlie cleared his throat and then turned back to his brother.

"Don." He called and reached his hand out. His fingers just barely glanced over Don's knee.

Don's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly expecting something to be wrong. Then he saw what had woken him. "Hey, Charlie." He said with a smile.

"You need to go home. You look awful." Charlie told him.

"You're one to talk." Don replied and reached out for Charlie's hand.

Charlie smiled slightly. "What happened to you, bro?"

"Nothing you need to worry about at the moment." Don assured.

"You'll tell me later?" Charlie asked.

"Of course, Chuck."

"Don't call me Chuck."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The end!<strong> Please let me know if you would like an epilogue. ;) I'm feeling like writing one, but I'm not sure. If I do write one it's going to be after I get back from vacation which will be in like three weeks. Also I felt really good about this chapter so I posted it early. Hope you enjoyed!_

_Thanks for reading and all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! It was greatly appreciated!_


	14. Epilogue

"_They're not coming, Don. Who's the most experienced one looking for you? Colby? He's just a kid. A kid who thinks he knows what he's doing."_

_Don knew Swarrid was just trying to mess with him, but it was working. Don had seen Swarrid's other victims. They'd suffered for three days. But Swarrid had screwed up. They had to have been able to trace that phone call. Colby would find him. He wasn't just some kid like Swarrid kept insisting. He was an Army Ranger and one of the toughest men Don knew._

"_How can you trust Colby? He already betrayed you once. How do you know he won't do it again? And that new girl, Suzie, how do you know you can trust her? She just got out of Iraq! Who knows who she could be working for?"_

_Don wished he could plug his ears. It wasn't true. Colby hadn't betrayed him. He'd acted like he had for his country. Don had seen him with that needle in his chest. There was no way Colby had been working for the Chinese. And Suzie? This guy knew nothing about her. Don had made sure to do a very in depth background check on all the people that were suggested for the job. And it had taken him a long time to do it. He couldn't just pick _anyone _to fill in David's spot. Suzie could probably give Colby a run for his money when it came to being patriotic. _

_The next thing Don felt was pain. Air hissed out between his teeth. He tried to see what Swarrid was doing but the restraints kept him from doing that. When the pain stopped he heard Swarrid walk away. He relaxed for a little bit. Then he heard a whine of a power tool. Something was shoved into his mouth. He couldn't help the yell that came up as what he was sure was an electric sander was pressed to his abdomen._

_Everything blurred, sounds morphed, and suddenly time skipped. The chair had been pivoted some so Don was sitting in a more upright position._

"_Do you know what it's like to drown, Don?"_

_A rag had been drawn tightly over his mouth and was being held there by a strap that went around his head. Don knew where this was going. A hose was lifted to the rag and turned on. Don struggled for air. He started to wonder if this was how Swarrid was going to kill him. But when Don thought he was finally going to drown Swarrid would turn the hose off and pull the rag away. When Don regained a normal breathing pace he'd do it again. Don wasn't sure how many times he'd done it._

_Don thought about what would happen to the people back at home if he died here. He knew Alan probably wouldn't be able to take it. He hoped Robin would be strong. Charlie… Charlie would probably blame himself once he learned the whole story._

"Don?"

_Don heard Charlie's voice. It sounded good. It was good to hear him alive and well. He suddenly felt something on his shoulder. It brought pain. It felt like thousands of needles pricking into his skin._

"Don."_ The voice was more forceful. There was a more powerful prick of the needles._

Don's hand shot out to where he felt someone touching him and his eyes jerked open. He was breathing heavily and he could feel sweat covering his body. His eyes went from the wrist he had a hold of up to Charlie's concerned eyes. Don instantly let go. "Sorry." He muttered and sat up.

Charlie sat down on the couch beside his brother. "You alright, man?"

"Ya, bud. Just haven't been getting much sleep lately." Don replied as he wiped the sweat off his face.

"I can see that." Charlie replied.

Don sighed. He could hear the questioning undertone in Charlie's voice. He looked around the living room of the Craftsman house. "Where'd everyone go?"

"It's one in the morning, Don." Charlie said lightly, amused at his brother's confusion.

"Oh." Don ran a hand through his hair. He and Robin had been over here for dinner with Charlie, Amita, and Alan. After dinner they'd decided to watch a movie. Apparently the movie hadn't been too interesting.

"Where's Robin?" Don asked.

"Upstairs. She didn't want to wake you up. She said the same thing you did about not getting much sleep lately." Charlie said.

Don glanced down at his watch blearily. "Wait… why are you up this late?"

A grimace crossed Charlie's face. "Couldn't sleep." He brought a hand up to his chest and started rubbing the spot gently.

"It's still bothering you?"

"Not as bad."

Don sighed and started spinning the wedding band on his finger. They were all still messed up. It was hard to believe that the incident had taken place almost three months ago. It still seemed like yesterday that he'd gotten off of his crutches the day before the wedding. And Charlie had stood at his side as best man. Don still remembered how much energy it had taken out of Charlie just to stand up there. Luckily they'd had the wedding outside of the place the two brothers had grown up. Charlie had stumbled into the house and crashed on the couch.

In the silence they heard a door open upstairs, some footsteps, and then a door close. A smile crossed Don's face. He slapped an encouraging hand against the mathematician's back. "Go check on your wifey."

Charlie sighed and headed up the steps.

Don settled back into the couch with a smile on his face. Maybe things would go back to normal after all.

He was just about to drift off when he heard a bustle of commotion from upstairs. "Don! Don!" Charlie yelled in panic.

Don practically sprinted towards the steps and nearly ran head on into Charlie. "What's wrong?"

"Amita's going into labor!"

The whole house exploded into motion as those words echoed through the halls.

"What? I thought she wasn't due for at least another month?"

"Me too! Help me get her downstairs!" Charlie ran back up the stairs. Don chased after him.

"Hey, I think Don was freaking out more than I was." Charlie said defensively.

"Hey!" Don replied. "I was not freaking out."

Robin smiled and put her hand in his. "Yes you were, hun." Don looked defeated.

Amita was cradling the newborn baby boy in her arms. Charlie had already held him for some time. "Why don't we give Uncle Donny a try?" Amita asked.

Alan laughed at the shocked look on Don's face.

"M-me?" Don stuttered. He'd been an FBI agent for countless years and he couldn't remember ever being as freaked out as he was now. How could he hold such a fragile and innocent thing in his hands? The very same hands that have killed and caused so many criminals to be sentenced to death. The exact opposite of this new life.

"Is Mr. FBI agent scared?" Robin teased.

Charlie took the small babe from Amita and gently held him out for Don. Don could literally hold the child with just his two hands. "Samuel Hewitt Eppes." He whispered. He looked up at Charlie and Amita and then back at the baby. "I think he looks like his dad."

"I think it might be the hair." Robin agreed.

It was true. The little amount of hair the child had was black and definitely curly. His eyes were a dark brown and he had a cute little button nose.

That's when it hit Don. Life would never go back to normal. But life was definitely going to get better.

_~The End~_


End file.
